Hope Leads to Happiness Again
by ProDLnEC aka NLcsimiamifanatic
Summary: The Sequel to "Ray of Hope." PLEASE R AND R! WARNING: Mostly fluff and humor!
1. Dreaming

_**Hope Leads to Happiness Again**_

_Please read Ray Of Hope for background_

_**Dreaming**_

It was still surreal to Mac that he was going to be a father. There was times he thought he might be dreaming. If he was, he didn't want to wake up, ever. His wife Hope was four months pregnant. It may not have been considered 'normal' but it wasn't exactly uncommon for a man his age, forty-two to be becoming a father for the first time nowadays. Neither was the fact his wife was fourteen years his junior.

At sixteen weeks gestation the couple's unborn child now resembled a baby and was about the size of a banana. Her condition was beginning to show on the mother-to-be but not quite to the point where maternity clothes were needed. Hope was also beginning to feel a few flutters when the baby moved now but it was too soon for her husband;s palm to feel. The selfish 'trend' of _Mommyrexia _may have hit Manhattan but not Hope Taylor_. _She was looking forward to showing off her belly. The mere mention of this 'trend' made Mac's wife's blood boil. She couldn't believe a woman would risk her child's health out of vanity. If their figures were _that_ important to them then maybe they shouldn't get knocked up in the first place. Hope had never been shy about experiencing this opinion to anyone, either. At their latest appointment—the one where the ultrasound print that sat on Mac's desk was taken, the expectant parents could have found out the gender of their baby but decided to wait.

For now at least.

Part of them _really_ wanted to know, the other wanted the surprise.

What was considered 'healthy' eating was considered "for the birds" to Hope Taylor. But she was _trying_ to at least eat _healthier_, if only for the baby she was carrying. Giving up junk food, especially caffeine and her beloved chocolate was the hardest part.

Hope's parents couldn't put their excitement into words to be expecting their first grandchild. They ignored the looks they got when they told people it was Hope who was pregnant. Some of Alicia's friends wouldn't say so but thought Hope's marriage was "inappropriate" and the fact she and her husband were having a baby "even more wrong." These were "fighting words" for the Conways and their friends knew it. Alicia and Nathan were currently planning another trip to the big apple to see their pregnant daughter. Rhode Island wasn't that far from New York but the older couple wished it was closer. Moving to New York City wasn't an option for the Conways. Manhattan was a great place to visit but they could never live there. Even before she had met her husband, Hope had started to feel like New York was home she spent so much time there. She had been excited to be offered a job there. The moment she met Mac Taylor Hope knew she was _truly _home.

Nathan Conway knew he and his wife would be visiting the big apple so often in the future that they "might as well" move there but with that not happening they were going to rely on air miles points and seat sales. Just because New York City wasn't for them, didn't mean that their grandchild—and hopefully _grandchildren_ wouldn't do great being raised there. That came to parenting, not location. And this child was going to have amazing parents.

* * *

><p>The way Mac doted on his pregnant wife was a surprise to no one. He knew how to be attentive to her but not "smothering." He couldn't wait to be able to feel the kicks from the baby in his wife's belly against his palm. According to Hawkes that might be in as soon as another two weeks. He would have teased his friend about his excitement but he knew this were a big thing for most expectant fathers.<p>

"That's the little Taylor, huh?" Hawkes said, noticing the printout on Mac's desk near the end of the day.

"Yeah," Mac said as he proceeded to put on his jacket, not able to suppress a smile.

"You guys know the sex, yet? They can tell you now."

"Yeah. We're _trying to_ see if we can wait. Not sure how far we're gonna get with that though."

Putting off finding out the sex of the baby was something they weren't going to be able to do for much longer. However picking out names and buying baby items was being put off for another few months to make sure Hope's pregnancy continued to go smoothly. The urge to buy things was big especially when Hope saw baby clothes in camouflage. She knew the sex of the baby was irrelevant but part of Hope had her fingers crossed that she would give Mac Taylor a son—even if he wasn't going to be called Mac Taylor III.

_**Please Read and Review!**_


	2. Intrusion

_**Intrusion**_

Peyton Discoll wasn't sure if what she was hearing was a rumor or not.

She _heard_ that Mac's new wife was four months pregnant. With no real 'friends' in the crime lab anymore, finding out anything about Mac was difficult. If this were true part of her had her fingers crossed that Hope had "screwed around" on Mac as she heard they put it in this country and the baby she was carrying wasn't Mac's. It gnawed at Peyton how happy Mac seemed to be without her and she wasn't sure exactly why. Perhaps it was the fact that _children_ were so important to him and that had been the one thing she hadn't been willing to budge on when they were together. Unknown to her Mac knew _all about_ how Peyton might be feeling about his new life—not that he cared—because Stella, Lindsay and Danny had told him about the separate conversations they'd had with her. He would suggest she move on and start a life with someone who also wanted a life without children or "free from" them as she once stated. If Peyton had been around when Lucy Messer came along she would have taken issue to the bond Mac had with the child and Mac would have chosen Lucy and dropped Peyton in a split second.

One of the main reasons Hope had chosen the apartment complex though she had a car and lisense, was it was less than a ten minute walk from her job. This eliminated getting through morning traffic and the harder part of finding a parking spot. She would drive more if the weather was bad and probably as her pregnancy advanced. There was a storm brewing in Rhode Island regarding her pregnancy that Hope was unaware of. Her sister believed that while Mac "deserved to be in the delivery room" as an "observer" when Hope gave birth, Bella thought _she_ would in the delivery room as Hope's "support person" or coach. She even thought that she might be the one to cut the child's umbilical cord and be the first to hold the child after Hope, and _before_ Mac.

_"Who the __**hell**__ do you think you are?" Alicia confronted her older daughter. "It's __**Mac's**__ child! Not yours! You weren't there when the baby was conceived, then why in the world should you __**deserve**__ such a role in the birth?"_

_ Bella's only answer was "because I'm her sister."_

_"And Mac's her __**husband, the baby's father!" Nathan told Bella. "How dare you think you're more entitled to participate in this precious event more than him!**_"

Having anyone other than _just _her husband in the delivery room was an unbelieve idea to Hope. Sure she knew some people would argue with her that some men were just too nervous or they were of an older generation "it just didn't feel right" and they were uncomfortable but to both Taylors that was bullshit. If a man loved a woman so much, no case of "nerves"or old-fashioned attitude would make him not want to be there when a child he made with her entered the world. As the grandmother-to-be, Alicia thought she would _love_ to be a witness to her grandchild's birth but also believed more that it was an experience that should shared by the mother and father only and no other _guests._

* * *

><p>Lucy Messer told her godfather that it was okay for the new baby to share her toys, movies and books when he or she arrived. She was also fine with the spare room she usually slept in being turned into a nursery. The child still asked her parents every other when the baby was going to get here. She couldn't understand why it took so long for the baby to grow and said it shouldn't take so long.<p>

A lot of people would agree with her. On top of that list one particular expectant couple.

A forensics conference at NYU was where Mac Taylor ran into Dr. Peyton Driscoll for the first time since he had last saw her before he left London and after getting the ''Dear John" letter from soon afterwards. He was professional, as always but not overly friendly. Not showing the emotions that she seemed to want him to.

"You're married, huh?" she said.

"Yeah. For almost a year now," Mac replied.

"I thought I saw your wife the other day. Any truth to what I heard? You guys expecting?" Peyton asked.

"We are," Mac smiled.

No comment she could make was going to make him react.

"You seem very happy."

"That I am. Excuse me, Peyton," he said walking away from her.

_This couldn't be,_ Peyton thought angrily. _Mac Taylor couldn't be happier without her. Something had to be done about this._

Leaving the university that day Peyton Driscoll was going to try to harm Hope because she was one who made him happy.

**_Please Read and Review! _**


	3. Becoming Real

_**Becoming Real **_

_For readers waiting on the dose of drama it's going to be a few more chapters yet, I have to think more! :) _

_ **Note:**_ Det._ Jessica Angell doesn't exist._

It was the sensation that Mac had waited since Hope had said those two words "I'm pregnant." The flutters on his palm from the unborn baby as his hand rested on her belly.

"Wow," was all he could say.

Hope smiled and kissed her husband's lips.

"Cool, huh?"

"Somethin' like that," Mac smiled back. "Hi there, buddy."

Hope was now eighteen weeks pregnant. The couple had found out a day before they were going to be parents to a baby boy. A flurry of phone calls and e-mails had been sent out. Their friends had joked the two had told the entire world. At the appointment the doctor told the mother-to be it was by all means her own choice, it wasn't too early to start getting baby stuff. Everything was normal and the baby was "happy"—medical translation: the baby was healthy, the doctor said after she let the couple hear the heartbeat. She also told the couple it wasn't too early to sign up for prenatal classes that usually started six weeks to a month prior to the mother's due date.

"Do you really believe we need those prenatal classes?" Hope said as the two left the office. She thought that prenatal classes were " just creepy."

"It can't hurt to be informed, honey," Mac said, sensing her anxiety. "And it's a _couple's_ class. I wouldn't expect you to go to any of them alone. By the way, when we're there, my phone will be off. I wouldn't be going anywhere.``

* * *

><p>The fact that ne was going to have a son wasn't what made Mac more excited, to him and Hope just knowing the baby's gender gave him more of an identity. They could start shortening the list of names now, too. Danny and Lindsay told the couple that there was no rush on what to name the baby. It had taken them a whole day after Lucy was born to name her. Sheldon offered that his parents waited a whole six weeks to name him.<p>

"We're aiming to shorten both those periods of times," Mac laughed.

The baby wasn't going to be a 'junior' but Hope wanted to have "McKenna" as the baby's middle name, after his dad and late grandfather. They didn't want to finalize anything yet just in case but both liked the names Jesse, Levi and Austin. When it came to the nursery theme, almost everyone except his wife were sure that Mac would insist on camouflage Marine decor. However while at Toys R Us on their first baby shopping trip instead of being drawn to that design Mac said he thought the jungle theme which had lions, gorillas, elephants and giraffes on it, was cute. Plus it was educational. The baby boy could learn about animals early. The theme was colorful and bright. She agreed it would be good for their baby.

"You don't like it better than that one?" She asked pointing to a sports-themed bedding set.

"I think that's more Danny or Flack. You know Stella only got trains and cars in Trey's nursery was 'cause Don lost a bet."

Mac called in a sick day to go shopping with his wife because on Friday to Monday he was going to be in Pennsylvania for a convention. He really didn't want this and tried everything to get out of it, to no avail.

"We'll be _fine_ while you're gone, you know," Hope told her husband, reaching across the table for his hand at the deli where they stopped for lunch. "It's only a few days. And neither of us has a curfew that I know of. You can call me and we can talk all night," she said toying with his fingers.

Mac smiled softly.

"You won't miss me?"

"Well, I didn't say that. I said we'd be fine till you get back," Hope replied.

"We'll make sure that Hope and baby boy are well taken care of while you're gone," Lindsay told an agitated Mac before he left the lab to drive to the neighboring state. "Stop worrying, will you!"

"I'm not _worried_. I just don't want to go.." Mac whined.

He knew his wife was going to be reasonably busy. She had a shoot on Friday evening and one on Sunday morning. So it wasn't like she would be sitting home just waiting for him, which was good. However he was going to take advantage of those late night chats with her.

Even if it did make him sound like a lovesick teenager.


	4. Missing You

_Because of the holidays, the Peyton drama will start in the new year! Sorry for the suspense!_

_**Missing You**_

By Saturday evening Hope did miss her husband. After a busy Friday, she and Mac had talked for almost two hours before going to sleep. During the day Mac had tried his best to keep his mind where it was supposed be, at the convention. But it was hard to know to do with the time after hours. The _Three Stooges_ Marathon on the pay-per-view comedy channel helped some.

"Daddy will be back tomorrow," Hope said, rubbing her belly, feeling the baby move when she hung up with Mac. "He misses you, too." Hope was glad that she would be pretty much busy till her husband returned. The Messers, in particular young Lucy had invited Hope over to their home for a spaghetti and meatball dinner on Sunday evening. The food and company sounded good to her. Hope had no idea that Danny Messer was such a good cook.

"Well Danny, I finally figured out why Lindsay married you," she told her husband's co-worker,

Hope stayed at the Messers till it was time for Lucy to take her bath. She hailed a cab and arrived home around 7:30. Mac called when she was getting out of the shower at eight.

"Your dinner sounds better than mine," Mac told Hope. "I think they let the rejects cook the buffet tonight."

It was possible that the couple were taking a bit of a gamble in case Hope had a late term miscarriage but the furniture for the nursery had just arrived.

"You think that we're doing this too early, even if with the best outcome?" Hope asked him as the two stood in the door of the would-be baby's room.

"I don't think so," he said, placing his hand on her growing belly. He wouldn't say a word about it but her body had already changed in the past three days since he'd been gone.

"I guess I'd better get busy on this," Mac said.

"No," his wife said, tugging on his right arm. "I want you _busy_ in _there," _gesturing to their bedroom.

Mac grinned.

Maybe having been away from his wife hadn't been such a bad thing.

Pregnancy had increased his wife's libido and Mac was only too glad to satisfy her needs. The two lay together spent after ravaging each other for two hours. The phone in the apartment and his wife's cellphone went ignored during that time. Several of those repeated calls was Hope's sister, Bella.

"She told me a few hours ago that was on his way home. What could they be _doing?" _Bella said.

Her roommate snorted.

"You have to _ask_ that? I can think of a few things! As much as it 'creeps' you out ,for some women, their sex drive hits the roof during pregnancy. I bet the two are enjoying some time in the sack."

Bella couldn't understand how a pregnant woman could want sex more often. The very thought of a pregnant woman having a great sex life felt "wrong" and "unmotherly" to the woman who didn't have children and didn't intend to. To most other people in the world, it was just a sign Mac and Hope had a great relationship.

"I missed you, babe," Hope said, snuggling into her husband's body.

Mac smiled and kissed the tip of her nose."I missed you, too. Both of you," he said gently caressing her belly.

Hope did call her sister after spending another hour in bed with Mac. Mac had gone to the spare room to check the furniture that had been delivered earlier in the day. He thought he just might start on a smaller piece of furniture like the changing table.

"Where were you?" Bella asked.

"Nowhere. I was busy."

"Did Mac get home?"

"Yeah. A few hours ago."

"What were you guys doing for so long?"

"I'll give you a few guesses, sister."

Mac was engrossed in the instructions of the change table assembly when his wife came into the room.

"Complicated?" She asked.

Mac looked up.

"Not too bad," he replied. "_That_ on the other hand," he said, pointing to the crib, "might be a while."

Hope giggled.

* * *

><p>Hope had gone shopping for baby boy clothes with Stella Flack but a friend can only technically buy so many outfits. No matter cute they were. She was very much looking forward to shopping for her son. Both Stella and Lindsay were more than happy to go with her and were amazed to hear Mac had actually gotten both the changing table and crib assembled in one day.<p>

"I think he youtubed the instructions though. I saw him bring in the laptop and then I heard sound in the room."

"I wish Don had thought of that," Stella said.

Neither Danny or Don could believe that their boss had two pieces of furniture assembled so fast.

"How the hell you decipher those stupid drawings?" Danny asked.

"I didn't," Mac grinned. "It's called youtube, Danny."

"Does Hope know?" Don asked.

"She probably heard it. She didn't say anything 'bout it."

"By the way, your sister-in-law is a real piece of work," Danny said to Mac. "Lindsay told me what Bella said to Hope about how you guys 'should be less excited' about the baby and be 'more concerned about the massive change he'll cause in your lives.' "

"Did she tell you the part where she said we should try not to make the nursery "too baby" or it will 'miss up the style' of our apartment?"

"What?" The two other men said, shocked.

"To which my wife said 'go fuck yourself.' We're used to Bella, Hope even more than me I really think it upsets Alicia and Nathan more."

When it came to her sister, Hope let what she said go in one ear and out of the other. She always had. The two had butted heads as long as Hope could remember. The expectant mother didn't know about Bella wanting to be in the delivery room and having more of a role than Mac in the birth—and believing she was entitled to it. Their parents thought Hope didn't need that stress.

And that Bella was better off if Hope _didn't_ know.


	5. Kavlar Savior & Obsession

_**Kevlar Savior**_

Mac had been knocked down, disarmed and had gun pointed in his face before. In every case it was either take the chance and fight for your life with your bare hands or lay down and die.

And he wasn't about to leave his wife and unborn baby so easily.

There was something very different about this time for Mac. In a flash he thought about leaving his wife behind and never meeting the baby he already adored. The adrenalin wore off in mere moments and he began to shake so much he had to lay down in the back in the ambulance. He knew his heart rate and blood pressure had to match his breathing which was rapid. Mac objected for a second but then accepted the oxygen mask the paramedic offered as he was checked over. Remembering the sound of the bullets deflecting off the kevlar vest before he got pinned by the suspect, if it hadn't been for the armor , Mac knew it would have been over for him.

The thought that triggered nausea for him.

Mac were pronounced all right minutes later but was advised to go home for the day, something he would normally argue against. Danny had already called Hope to let her know of the situation. Hope was working from home till her office was cleared of several cases of Fifth's Disease. She clicked 'close' and 'save' on the photoshoppe projects she was working on the before Danny was finished talking.

Neither said a word a half hour later when Mac walked through the door. The two only embraced each other as tight as they could. Mac had finally stopped shaking and his breathing had returned to normal.

"I love you," Mac whispered in his wife's ear, holding her even tighter.

Don Flack left quietly.

"Are you really okay?" Hope asked in a whisper, touching Mac's cheek.

"Yeah," Mac whispered back.

Other then feeling nauseous Mac was physically okay.

That feeling overtook him moments later. He vomited in the bathroom when he went to change his clothes. He wrapped his arms around his wife tightly again after exiting the bathroom after brushing his teeth.

"Don't let go," he whispered to her, not embarrassed to feel vulnerable.

Hope didn't intend to, at least for the night.

_**Obsession**_

Having Mac Taylor killed was all Peyton Driscoll could think about it. The altercation that could have got Mac killed barely made the papers. It was only a short two paragraph story in the side section on page seven. It had caught the British medical examiner's eye because Mac's name were printed there. Peyton knew Mac would fight any attacker to the death but she wished he hadn't had been so lucky and saved her the trouble of dying without her involvement. If her husband was dead, Peyton figured Hope wouldn't be long "high-tailing her pregnant self back to Rhode Island" needing her family's help to raise "the Taylor offspring, whom regardless what they planned to name at the present, would must likely be named Mac Taylor Jr. If the baby was a boy or possibly Mackenzie if it was a girl, if Mac Taylor Sr died prior to Hope giving birth.

Mac slept fitfully throughout the night. Maybe taking the day off tomorrow would be a good idea. His brain was going to be way too foggy to focus on evidence in the morning and exhaustion was bound to set in and he was most likely crash out in the late morning. His mind was still running on all cylinders when his body gave in to sleep before seven a.m.. Hope was up at eight to begin working on the computer again. The upside of working from home was she got to work in her pyjamas. She thought about waking Mac to ask if he wanted breakfast but let him sleep instead. It was almost noon when Mac opened his eyes. Having last eaten at 10:30 that previous night, his stomach growling was what woke him. When he walked out of the bedroom wife was in the kitchen adding canned tomatoes and mixed vegetables.

"Smells good," Mac said, coming up behind his wife and kissing her cheek. "Can I help with anything?"

"You can check on the rice. Did I wake you?" Hope said, leaning back into her husband, kissing him in reply.

"No. My stomach did," Mac smiled.

Sitting down for a meal was something simple and something most people didn't think about. But it was something the couple that tried to do as often as possible. With the unpredictability of Mac's job it was something that he and Hope tried to do as often as possible being some days it was the longest time they had together. They knew it was also a good practice to have in place for when their baby came. Families eating meals together was a rare thing nowadays but something the couple wanted to do as much as possible when they were a family of three. It went unnoticed later the couple was being watched by Peyton from across the street and through the window as they shopped at a maternity clothing store. Peyton rolled her eyes at Hope modelling outfits for her husband.

_How clammy! _She thought.

This baby was turning Mac Taylor into a complete pansy. Peyton shook her head harder seeing Mac smile, say something to his wife then take a stuffed lion off of the shelf and shake it at her before adding the toy to their cart.

The sooner that she ended Mac Taylor's life, the better she'd feel.


	6. Note

Hey readers! This is just a note to stive off any disappointment with the upcoming drama with Peyton._Hope Leads to Happiness Again_ is mostly a family/romance story so the drama will be brief and come to a quick conclusion. I apologize to anyone who wanted lots of action!


	7. Shock

_**Shock All Around**_

Laying in a hospital bed just hours out of surgery to remove a ruptured spline, with a broken wrist, three broken ribs and a large gash to the his forehead, Mac couldn't believe what had transpired in the last few hours.

_Peyton Driscoll_ _had tried to kill him._

She had to have been following him all day, yet he never noticed her. It was almost 9:00pm when he made trip to the store because _he _wanted a peanut butter sandwich and they were out, when he was exiting his car to cross the street to go to the corner store when he heard a car rev up and saw a set of bright headlights. He turned to see a dark car speeding toward him. The face of the driver was unmistakable.

_Peyton Driscoll_.

Mac froze for a fraction of a second, a human reaction. Then tried to get out of the way. It was too late. The car stuck him straight on. He was able to tell Flack and Lindsay who had hit him before he was loaded into the ambulance and that was the last thing he remembered. The witness who had called 9-1-1 had seen the license plate, which had led to cops swiftly tying the car to the former M.E.

She and her vehicle were found less than two hours later in the attached garage of the home she was rented. Peyton was dead from what appeared to be carbon monoxide poisoning judging by the scene, although a full autopsy would tell. A voice note was left on her cellphone, stating that if she couldn't have Mac Taylor, no one could and she knew she had _"_fucked up" the murder attempt ad Mac would live. And she knew Mac saw and recognized her. She wasn't "about to go to jail for claiming what was hers."

"Damn," Hawkes said. "You _think_ you know someone."

Peyton's diary found on her laptop inside the house, detailed her resentment of Mac's new life, starting from the day she knew about Hope. The entries became more angry-filled when she found out Mac was getting married and after she found out that Mac was expecting a baby with his new wife. They knew it shouldn't have but the earlier entries of Peyton planning to harm Hope and the baby instead of Mac, made both Sheldon and Danny's blood run cold. Where Peyton had written that she decided to harm Mac instead of his wife because she knew Mac would most likely "snap" and go after her because he felt he had nothing left to lose, the two CSIs couldn't say they disagreed.

* * *

><p>Right now Hope Taylor wasn't thinking of the now-dead woman who tried to kill her husband, once she was sure Peyton was dead. She stayed with Mac till in the morning. Hope had convinced to take at least a minimal dose of demoral though his IV and it was helping him sleep. Mac could protest all he wanted, his wife wasn't leaving his side tonight. Hope's mom Alicia and brother Blake were on their way in from Rhode Island. Hope's dad couldn't get away from their business. For a while Hope fell asleep on the sofa in Mac's room.<p>

"You're still here," Mac said when she got up to go to the bathroom. Before he went to sleep, he told his wife to go home for the night.

She refused, at least till morning.

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere. Mom and Blake are on their way in. They'll be here by seven or eight. I'll go then."

"Did I hear Hawkes here, earlier?"

"Yeah. He came in to check up and he bought me a sandwich."

He had wanted her to go home but in a way Mac was glad his wife was still there. When his in-laws did arrive, he was awake. He kissed his wife goodbye and told her to get some sleep.

"I'll try. But our bed won't be the same without you."

Alicia planned to stay in New York City until Mac was discharged. Blake could only stay two days. With everything going on and Hope being pregnant her daughter's boss was putting her on medical stress leave. Her maternity leave benefits wouldn't be affected. Mac's wife spent most of the next day at home under the very watchful eyes of her mom and brother but went in to see Mac for a few hours in the evening. The good news was that Mac was likely to be released the following day. He was able to get out of bed, get dressed and move around without help. And most importantly he was starting to grumble about being in the hospital.


	8. Gifts

_**Gifts to Savor**_

_COME ON, PEOPLE! Is anyone reading this, or is it that bad? :(_

Since the announcement of the impending birth of their baby appeared to be the catalyst to the attempt on Mac's life there were people who didn't understand how they had no resentment towards the unborn child. On the contrary they created this baby because they _wanted_ him. They were looking forward to his presence in their lives—in the flesh. Peyton had issues with him moving on with his life.

It was _her _problem.

Not his son's.

And a family was a gift.

A gift Mac Taylor was going to savor to the fullest. The day of his accident, if it could referred to as such, his pregnant wife was seen by her doctor to ensure her and the baby's health was okay considering how naturally upset she was. An ultrasound and heartbeat check showed the baby was fine.

_But like mom, probably feeling the stress of what happened to dad,_ the doctor thought without saying.

Mac was out of the hospital four days when the hospital called to tell Hope that while everything _was_ all right with the baby she was carrying, the past few weeks the hospital technician who told them the gender of the baby had been wrong. Several other patients had complained and were threatening to sue .The hospital was obligated to tell others of this, not of the any pending lawsuits. But that part had made the paper. The Taylors could understand feeling slightly deflated if everything was set for a particular gender, but to be so disappointed you'd _sue_ said something about people's character. A child was a child, was it not?

Mac and Hope just wanted a baby. They appreciated the "heads-up" and might think more about a girl's name and have more of a "back-up" wardrobe but that was it.

"And little girls are great," Mac said. "_Exhihit A_ being Lucy Messer."

"Agreed," his wife said, after she scoffed reading the part on the story in the newspaper. "I read 'bout this on the web before. Some women put on message boards '_I feel guilty, is that wrong?' _Then replies follow _'no honey, don't feel bad! Blah, blah.'_I think they _should_ and I've posted so."

"Did you leave your e-mail? Your inbox might be full by now" Mac smiled.

He had always admired his wife's ability to speak her mind.

* * *

><p>Hope speaking her mind was what indirectly lead her to meeting Mac. She had always loved New York City since she were a child. Her mom would shudder every time the city was mentioned however, because of the high crime rate. She would have preferred that her daughter have stayed in Rhode Island. Alicia practically held her breath every time Hope had visited the city before she moved there. She tried but couldn't hide her worry and disheartenment when Hope decided to take the job in Manhattan. She <em>was<em> glad that her daughter had met Mac, _very glad_. She couldn't have asked for Hope to have to a better husband or for her unborn grandson to have a better father.

Alicia just wished they lived almost anywhere in the country except New York City, especially when the baby got here.

That thought came to Mac as his wife sat down next to him on the couch, Mac slipping his casted arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. Hope had made sure that she sat on the opposite side of his broken ribs when she leaned into his shoulder.

"You think your mom will ever believe that the city isn't so bad? Sounds like she thinks we should confine him to the apartment for first sixteen years," he said.

"I don't know. I do know I like it here. And I'm certainly not going to "bubble wrap" our children, contrary to what she thinks of Manhattan. The first time I told her I rode the subway solo, I was _twenty years old_ and I thought she was going to have a stroke."

Mac laughed then gasped, because his ribs hurt.

"You okay?" Hope asked, putting her palm on his chest. "Am I hurting ya?" She said, starting to get up.

Mac took a painful deep breath.

"It's not you," he said, guiding her back to her previous position. "Or you," he said resting his palm on Hope's round belly and felt a slight nudge. He wondered if he was feeling a hand or foot. "It's just the painful fact I have to breath."

Mac was likely to be off for another three or so weeks till his ribs and wrist healed enough for him to at least go back to working in the lab. It would two months before he would be medically cleared to go back in the field. It was ironic that was when the baby was due. After Hope had the baby he would have three weeks off.

* * *

><p>Sid Hammerback had confirmed Peyton Driscoll cause of death to be carbon monoxide poisoning. The manner of death was ruled a suicide. Her remains had been cremated and were being sent back to London. Sid had thought that having somoene he formerly worked with on his tablewould bother him but under the circumstances Peyton was nothing more than a dead body.<p>

_Apparently one with no soul to be released,_ he had thought during her autopsy.

Lucy Messer wanted her godfather to get better fast so she could come and play again. With broken bones it wasn't that easy to play with a three-year-old, even one as sweet as Lucy.

"When Mac's okay again, I definitely want another sleep-over with her," Hope told Lindsay.

"Even though they put you on 'stress leave'?"

"Sure. Once Mac's all right again. I'll call this a vacation."


	9. The WHAT?

_I skipped ahead a month..._

_**The WHAT?**_

Hope couldn't believe the e-mail from her sister. She had to read it twice.

Had she finalized the _what?_

Bella wanted to know if the couple had decided on the delivery room "guest list."

Hope wrote back:

_We haven't, yet, But we have selected the refreshments, Finger sandwiches and cookies. BYOB. We're still looking for a DJ._

That part of the e-mail was sarcastic of course,

Hope then added:

_Are you __**INSANE**__? Never mind, I take that question back. I'm TELLING you, you're CRAZY!_ _It's not a fucking party! I'll be __**GIVING BIRTH**__. Unless you're required medical staff, if someone wasn't there when I conceived, __**THERE'S NO ADMISSION!**_

Bella even asked in the e-mail whether Mac "minded" being preset at the birth of his child.

Mac had been reading the e-mail exchange from behind his wife, unknown to her.

"Should she direct that question to _me_?" He said, feeling ticked off.

"You should write her an e-mail. And she has _zero_ boundaries. Just to remind you."

Witnessing the birth of his child was something he was counting the days for. He wouldn't be anywhere else for the world. According to his wife and from what she let him feel—often, the baby was moving almost constantly.

"Geez," Mac said, his hand on Hope's belly when she turned around in the the computer chair. "Does he ever stay still?"

"I often say that at three in the morning," Hope said, Mac leaning in and kissed her abdomen.

"No wonder you find it hard to sleep."

"Or stand up," she said with a sigh.

Mac smiled.

"Let me help you out there," he said, taking her hands and gently pulling her to her feet. "Better?" He asked.

"Much. I'll need the same help in a few minutes to set back down. How was your first day back?"

Now at seven months pregnant, Hope had gained over twenty pounds and her growing belly was making movement a complicated and sometimes a near impossible task.

"That's what I'm here for. Today was all right. Kind of boring not being able to leave the lab."

Later, instead of e-mailing his sister-in-law and starting her up, Mac called Alicia, his mother-in-law. She would absolutely give her daughter a "talking to." Alicia wasn't completely shocked to hear that her older daughter would be so intrusive.

She may not have been surprised but she _was_ mad,as was Nathan.

"The situation will be dealt with, Mac," Alicia said. "Now how's my daughter doing?"

"Well," Mac said, "she _says_ that she looks and feels like a beached whale. But she's great. Baby's doing fine."

"Still a boy?"

Because of the wrong results that had been determined by the hospital technician, ultrasound images from all patients, including Hope Taylor wer e being reviewed. The doctor had called the day before and told the couple the sex was their baby had been judged correctly. They were still having a son.

"Yep. We're still picking out a girl's name and getting some girl's clothes, just in case."

So far it looked as if the parents-to-be were going to name their son Jesse McKenna Taylor. No other name deemed to fit. _If _the baby happened to be a girl, they thought they might call her Emily Elizabeth Taylor.

"And how are you feeling? I heard you back at work."

"Yeah. Started today. I'm not sure if I'm liking it, yet." Mac laughed.

Hope heaved a frustrated sigh, looking at the 3:07am.

And she had to pee yet again.

"You all right?" Mac asked in the darkness.

"Yeah. I gotta pee again."

Ever the helpful husband Mac got up from his side of the bed and went to help his wife up.

"That wasn't a hint for you to get up," his wife said. She couldn't help but smile, even at this hour.

"I know. But I like to do what I can."

When she first laid eyes on Mac Taylor over two years ago she never imagined they would be where they were today. _If_ he had been interested in a relationship with her, she wasn't sure if he would want a family and while there wasn't anything wrong with that, it was a deal breaker for her when it came to a long-term relationship. Forty-one years wasn't old for a man to be starting a family nowadays but for some men they did feel they were too old. Hope was excited when Mac told her that he too wanted a family. She couldn't help but smile at how nervous Mac seemed when she asked her out to dinner for first time. From that date on, the two were inseparable whenever they weren't working. From the beginning it had been so easy and comfortable to be around each other. Hope didn't have a second thought when Mac asked her to move in with him.

When he proposed to her, it was like a dream.

Mac lovingly stroked his wife's belly when she got back into bed. He smiled as his wife lulled off to sleep in his embrace wondering how he had got so lucky to meet such a wonderful woman.


	10. Sibling Rivalry to the Max

_**Sibling Rivalry to the Max**_

_Seabend, Rhode Island is a fictional town as far as I know._

From the moment Hope was bought home from the hospital, Bella Conway had resented her sister. While her brothers _adored_ Hope, Bella, the oldest child hadn't wanted another sibling let alone a sister. She thought she was supposed to be the "princess" in the family. As juvenile as this thinking was, even as an adult Bella hadn't grown out of it. Following a terrible accident Alicia Conway had been told a year prior to Hope's birth, Alica was told that while carrying another child could be possible and safe, conceiving naturally would be near impossible. That was why they had chosen to call their youngest daughter "Hope." From an amateur psychologist standpoint, this was likely why Bella were trying to interject herself into the birth of her nephew. As Hope's only sister, Bella automatically believed that she was going to be asked to be the baby's godmother. She was to be disappointed. This honor was going to going to Lindsay Monroe-Messer. If heaven forbid anything were to happen to both of them while the baby was young, Hope's family knew that and planned to respect the couple's wishes. Sister or not, Bella didn't deserve to be a godmother. Still continuing her intrusive nature Bella had sent her sister another e-mail with a list of baby names _she_ liked.

It was immediately deleted.

Hope was feeling cranky, today she thought pregnancy sucked.

Lindsay Messer was off work earlier than the rest and dropped to see her before picking her child up from daycare.

"I know that expression," Lindsay said after one look at her friend. "Pregnancy sucks and you hate your husband."

Hope smiled.

"Somethin' like that. And we also start prenatal classes tonight. I'm not looking forward to it."

The class the couple signed up for lasted six weeks, ending about two weeks prior to Hope's due date.

"It's not so bad," Lindsay reassured her. "Just think of it as an opportunity to sit back in Mac's arms and get a massage, uninterrupted."

When he thought about it Mac could hardly believe that his son would be here in a matter of weeks. Never in his life had he been so excited, or so scared in his life. Everybody who knew him said what a wonderful father he was going to make. Mac hoped that he could live up to that description. He was going to have to do what he told Danny three years ago; to believe in the best version of himself.

In Seabend, Rhode Island, Lara Montgomery had given up trying to figure out her roommate. Only for the fact she couldn't afford the rent alone she wouldn't have one. Especially somebody like Bella Conway. Bella seemed to believe that she was the center of the universe. Lara couldn't understand just why she resented her sister so much. She could only figure it was because her sister was happy. Lara had spoken to Hope many times and for longer spans of time than her sister. Hope had taken Lara's e-mail address and told her she would send her baby pictures. Bella had rolled her eyes but Lara was amused to hear that the night before Mac had painted his wife's toenails, even if it was near impossible for her to see them. Lara had smiled seeing the few photos that Hope had sent her. She loved the way Mac always had his palm on his wife's belly. His eyes even seemed to smile looking at where his son was growing.

Lara sarcastically inquired of Bella how old she thought the couple's baby would be by the time she planned to meet him. She did know that Bella's parents were planning to go to New York the week the baby was born, giving the new parents a few days alone with the newborn first. A baby shower was in the works for Hope in just a few days and even though Bella had ample time off from her job to attend, she had "no interest" in going but was sending a gift—of a $150 Target gift certificate and a card with her mother who was going to attend the shower. Alicia had to take time off and _lose pay _for the event but she was still going. It only made sense that Lindsay Messer and Stella Flack were the ones planning the celebration being they lived in Manhattan. Alicia couldn't plan it from Seabend.

"I don't know," Bella said about the timing of meeting her nephew.

"When you were all sure that you were going to be in the delivery room and participate in the birth, like you were the dad or something," Lara said sarcastically, "you couldn't stop looking at ticket prices and now you don't seem to give a rat's ass."

Bella shrugged her shoulders, not being able to come up with answer.

Saying it aloud would make her look horrible so she kept her mouth shut. But Bella could say in truth she didn't feel that way.

It was looking like more and more like "Jesse" was going to be the first name of the new baby. Hope was feeling huge at this point. Often she couldn't believe that she had _two more months_ to go before her due date. She sent mother photos of her growing belly week-by-week, photos her mother enjoyed. Alicia knew her son-in-law loved his wife's pregnant body and it was one of the reasons Hope were so comfortable with her body.


	11. There For You

_**There For You **_

Mac couldn't be referred as nothing less than the perfect husband and expectant father. At the 11:00pm his wife wanted a pretzel from a all night vendor across the street from their building and he was good enough to get out of bed, get dressed and walk across the street and ger her one, or two. The second one was for himself. They did smell good.

Adam Ross's eyes became wide at his boss's gesture. Danny however knew that telling refusing to do something like this for your very pregnant wife went way beyond 'if she ain't happy, you ain't happy'—it was suicide.

"When it happens to you, Adam, you wouldn't be so shocked," Danny said.

When Lindsay Messer was pregnant she would often crave barbeque chicken wings at the same odd hours. The closest place to get those was a block and a half away from the Messers' apartment.

Hope was finding the prenatal classes a little more comfortable to attend. Although she still found the notion that relaxation and breathing techniques would help with the intense pain of childbirth to be "bullshit." when it came to learning and practicing the techniques, it helped that Mac wasn't the least bit self-conscious about doing them with her. She admitted aloud to him and the rest of the class that she was "petrified" of the pain of childbirth. Mac really couldn't believe her. He wished with every fibre of his being that he could protect her from it. But he knew all he could do was be there for her and help her every step of the way in any and every way possible. Hope had tensed in his arms when they had watched a video of a natural birth. Mac heard his wife's breath catch in her throat. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed both her hands when he felt her began to tremble.

"Shh, baby," he whispered in her ear. "You're going to be fine. I'll be there every step of the way."

Personally, the video of the c-section bothered Mac more, though he made sure he didn't show it. He hoped that he and his wife would avoid this. The thought of his wife being cut open like this, even if it was to bring their child safely into the world bothered him.

Neither way of giving birth appealed to Hope. But she knew there was no turning back now. She had talked to both her friends Lindsay and Stella who were very sympathetic knowing what she would be going though. They both skirted the issue of pain with her, not wanting to either scare her or just flat-out lie.

And Hope Taylor didn't ask.

She didn't want to know.

Both women knew that the mother-to-be would have all the support in the world with Mac Taylor there.

Baby boy Taylor's nursery was just about ready. The diapers and the clothes were neatly put away. Plush animals of every variety lined the shelves. The couple had signed up for a night-long newborn and baby care but that didn't start for another week. In the meantime, Trey Flack's parents were letting them practice on him whenever possible, even if changing a one-year-old was a slightly different experience than changing a newborn or infant.

"Who's turn is it?" Don Flack asked one evening when the expectant couple came over for dinner.

Trey didn't squirm as much with Hope as he had with Mac. And he only had a wet diaper compared to the mess uncle had to deal with when they first arrived. To top this off, Trey couldn't stop kissing Hope kisses.

"You're a little flirt," kissing the little boy back as she carried him downstairs from his nursery.

In the kitchen Don and Mac chatted.

"You guys are gettin' close now, huh?" Don said.

"Yeah," Mac grinned. "The calendar says we got eight weeks left."

"Technically six. You know the last two she could go any time."

Mac smiled.

"Oh yeah, I forget about that."

Hope's mother had gone over-due with all her children and had to be induced every time. Besides a c-section delivery the two were also hoping to avoid Hope's labor having to be induced. Labor was known to be excoriating as it was, and induced labor was known to be worse than labor that started on it's own. Ever since viewing the childbirth videos Mac knew the images and sounds plagued his wife's mind though she had yet to say a word about it.

"You think I can do it?" She asked Mac timidly as they lay in bed together the night of the dinner party.

Mac knew actually what she were referring to.

Giving birth.

"Yes," Mac said, kissing his wife softly. "I know you can. You're the strongest person I know. You can do anything."


	12. New Journey

_**A New Journey**_

Mac smiled at the sleeping form of his eight month pregnant wife as she slept soundly on the living room . Lately she found herself exhausted, yet impossible to sleep at night. It was quite easy to sleep however.

As long as she got her rest, Mac didn't care.

In only four weeks, maybe two if the baby were in a hurry, he was going to be a daddy. His wife wasn't having any symptoms of labor . Even if the baby was to be born now, four weeks earlier, the baby was fully developed and just had to gain a little more weight. The baby was estimated to weigh six pounds, Hope was praying the baby didn't gain much more weight. The nursery was complete. The baby shower—that Hope was unaware of was Saturday, three days away. With the couple still tight-lipped about what they were going to name their baby, Mac had lost track of the names their friends and family suggested. The baby's name was going to be Jesse McKenna Taylor, if by chance, "he" was a "she" the baby would be named Jasmine McKenzie Taylor. Mac smiled thinking about his wife told him that her belly "_couldn't possibly" _get any bigger. He just kissed her and reassured that it wasn't going to be long and their baby boy would be here. Hope admitted that she was going to miss the feeling of the baby moving and kicking inside her.

"But I'm so anxious to see 'em. I wonder if he looks like his daddy. Ten bucks says he does," Hope said, her blue eyes twinkling.

"And _I_ hope he looks like his mom," Mac said, giving his wife a hug from behind, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

Hope felt she were as ready for this as any parent and she was looking forward to this experience with Mac.

What she wasn't feel ready to experience was childbirth.

_Three Weeks Later..._

Mac had hold back his tears of joy seeing the first sight of his son. The crown of the baby's head. The boy had dark hair. The doctor remained in the room in case complications arose, but otherwise they were letting Mac deliver the baby.

Hope cried out in pain from the head of the bed. She had gone through almost thirteen hours of unmedicated labor before she started pushing an hour ago.

"You're doing great, sweetheart," Mac encouraged her. "I need you to push, baby. Come on, stay with me."

"I can't do it anymore, Mac. Please! Do something. It hurts too much," Hope begged.

"You _can_," Mac told her, looking her in the eyes. "I know it hurts but you're _so close!_ I can see his head, honey. I wouldn't lie to you about that. Just hold on. Thatta girl, just like that," he said as his wife began to push in reply. "Good job, keep going."

Mac's tears fell as he laid the crying, wet and squirming baby on his his wife bare skin minutes later. The newborn boy had a full head of _very_ thick dark hair that neither curly or straight but already seemed to stick out every which way even with being soaked with birth fluid. Mac couldn't speak as he kissed his wife and then his son. Hope couldn't speak either as she returned her husband's kiss and gazed her son as the nurse allowed Mac to cut the umbilical cord.

* * *

><p>Jesse McKenna Taylor weighed nine pounds and was twenty-two inches long. An hour later as the sun was beginning to rise over the city, after Mac helped his wife take a quick shower, the three were left to get acquainted in the coziness of the private birthing suite.<p>

"I can't believe it," Hope whispered. "I can't believe he's finally here."

"I know," Mac said softly from next to her. The three were together in a double bed. He gingerly touched the back of his son's tiny hand and adjusted the American flag pacifier in the baby's mouth. The newborn was still awake, staring at his parents. It looked as if he had brown eyes for now.

Jesse McKenna Taylor looked like his father, right down to his dimples. Right now the fact Mac Taylor had lost a bet with his wife didn't bother him one bit. A nurse arrived shortly to take Jesse to the nursery so the new parents could sleep. They knew Mac Taylor was not going home without bringing his family with him. Mother and baby would likely be discharged by that evening. Just before lunchtime, Danny and Lindsay dropped by the hospital to visit the new family. Lindsay teared up and both were thrilled to be asked to be Jesse's godparents. They accepted without hesitation.

"And we want you guys to bring Lucy over tomorrow. No arguments," Hope said. "We want him to get used to her ASAP."

The new mom accepted the agrument however that the meeting would have to be delayed because Lucy had a cold. That was the _only_ excuse she would accept.

Lucy would get to hold Jesse when she met him but Trey Flack was too young at just eleven months old.

"'You expect to get home today?" Lindsay asked.

Her husband was standing next to her, holding their godson.

"I'll be out before lunch. Just waiting on our discharge papers."

"Don't you get any ideas," Lindsay said, watching Danny coo over Jesse.

Danny laughed.

It was a no-brainer that it was take-out Chinese for lunch when the _three_ Taylors came home to their apartment.

"And this is home, buddy," Mac said to his son in the infant carrier, placing it on the coffee table.

The baby had fallen asleep on the way home.

"I think the sights of Manhattan were enough for him a little bit," Hope said. She picked up their sleeping baby and kissed his brow. He barely stirred.

Their journey of parenthood had begun.


	13. Perfection

_**Perfection **_

_I know the final chapter of the prequel_ _has the same title but it fits this chapter, too!)_

Mac could find no other word to describe his son other then "perfect." Brown eyes identical to his own stared up at him as he redid his son's sleeper after changing his diaper. Picking Jesse up, he kissed the baby's face.

"You know how much daddy loves you?" He murmured to the baby. Mac couldn't remember giving anyone _so many_ kisses. Jesse had yet to meet Lucy Messer because she had had a cold. she would come over tomorrow. Trey Flack hadn't been over yet either. Hope's parents wanted to give them some alone bonding with the new baby and weren't coming in from Rhode Island for another two weeks. It was two in the morning and daddy was enjoying time alone with his boy. "Let's get you some milk, huh?" Mac carrying his son from the bedroom. "We'll let mommy sleep."

Although a pushy lactation consultant at the hospital had tried to bully Hope from her personal choice not to breastfed, the new mother had expected this and wasn't fazed by it. Even if his wife wasn't stressed by the rude professional, it was Mac who had ordered the woman to leave the hospital room after twenty minutes and not to visit their home. Mac had his son fed, swaddled and back to sleep in a short time. When he sled back into next to his wife, she woke up.

"Is he okay?" She asked sleepily.

"He's fine," her husband replied, kissing her. "Fed, swaddled and back to dreamland."

He wouldn't admit it aloud but Mac Taylor knew his son looked very much like him, his eyes, his dimples even the way his hair stuck out.

His hair would be the same if he didn't keep it cut so short.

Exhaustion was beginning to set in for the new parents but they were in no hurry to have anyone take over taking care of Jesse. Alicia and Nathan had 'met' their grandson via the technology of skype the second day the family were home from the hospital. The grandparents thought the couple exhausted, but _very_ happy. Nathan and Alicia had decided not to come to New York for a bit to allow the three to spend time together. two weeks or so, to be exact, after that time, Mac would be back at work and Hope probably wouldn't mind the extra help. Both grandparents were going to try _very_ hard not to be "baby hogs" when they visited.

* * *

><p>"He cute, unca Mac!" Lucy Messer said, looking at baby Jesse. The little girl was excited to hold her new cousin for first time. "He dis many days old, right?" She asked, putting up five fingers.<p>

"That's right. You're such a smart girl, Lucy," Mac said.

"You two looked tired," Lindsay told Hope with a smile. Danny had to work so just Lindsay and her daughter were visiting the family. Lindsay planned to keep the visit brief. "I would have waited but Lucy wouldn't stop asking when she was gonna get to meet him."

Every little sound Jesse made his mom and dad smile. Even at five days old, he already seemed to know—and prefer mom and dad over everyone else. Even if one could give a newborn too many kisses or hold him too much, Hope and Mac didn't care. Their son needed to know he was loved and secure, that the world was a safe place to be and holding and cuddling him was the way to accomplish that.

* * *

><p>Getting to be the one who delivered his son was an experience Mac still could put into words. And as far him witnessing and participating in his child's birth, it wasn't sexual. What he saw from that position that day was his child being born, nothing else. The notion that this would"ruin" the couple's sex life was bullshit to him, even if so-called "experts" backed up such theories. The two didn't discuss it but his wife felt the same way. In many ways she felt safer and more calm with Mac delivering their baby. And she knew he didn't view her sexually in this moment, thus the baby possibly "ruining" their intimacy. Though she trusted her doctor, it was the bond she had with Mac that gave her a different sense of comfort.<p>

"I can't believe how much hair he's got," Mac said watching his wife feed their son.

Jesse showed no signs of losing any of his hair like many newborns do.

"Yeah, we might have to give him an early home haircut," his wife said. Both smiled as Jesse made noises as he drank from his bottle. "He's got your appetite," she teased him.

Mac laughed.


	14. Sweet Boy

_**Sweet Boy**_

Three weeks of family leave went too fast for Mac. His wife smiled as he couldn't seem to break their kiss that morning.

"You'd better get going," she said, touching his cheek.

"I guess," Mac sighed.

"Bye, buddy." he said, touching Jesse's hair and kissing his face. "Daddy loves you. Be good for mommy. I love you," he told his wife.

"Love you, too. Be safe."

When the apartment door closed and locked, Jesse's head turned toward the sound.

"Just you and me now, kiddo. Daddy will be home this evening."

Hope was looking forward to her parents's week-long stay in three days. She knew her mother was going to cook up a storm and stock up their freezer and deep freeze. Something Hope wasn't going to argue with. She wasn't going to argue about getting to take a nap or two during the day, either. Mum was going to be the word that her parents were "creeped out" hearing that their grandson was delivered by his dad.

On purpose.

Bella, the ever-jealous sister, overheard her parents talking about this when she came over to visit and commented that it was "vile." Her parents ignored her to avoid an argument. There was already tension between her and them (and her brothers) because Bella openly said she didn't have any plans to meet Hope's son any time soon. Blake and Hunter had "met" their nephew through skype the same day as their parents. They had piles of photos in their e-mail as well. Bella had been sent the same pictures but she had barely looked at them. Having only done so as a courtesy, Hope didn't care that her sister didn't reply.

Mac had looked forward to going home since Hope had moved in with him before they married. Having Jesse made him even more anxious for the end of his day to come. The first day felt a century long, the ride home even longer. Hearing his wife talk to son in the living room.

"Let's go see who this is, huh? I bet that's daddy."

Hope met Mac half way into the hallway to the door.

"Hey," she said as he leaned in to kiss her. "We missed you."

"Not as much as I missed you two, I guarantee you."

Pizza grilled cheese with bacon for two didn't sound like a very romantic meal but it was the company both had looked forward to all day. Jesse was content to watch his parents from his baby seat while they chatted.

"How was your first day back?" Hope asked.

"It was all right but too long." Mac said. He never told his wife about cases he worked mostly because he couldn't. Mac had thought with his luck his first day would involve a case with baby in the mix somehow. Luckily for today he was wrong. "How'd you guys do?"

"We did good. You should have seen Jesse's face when I had you on the speaker phone. He looked all over for you."

Mac smiled.

After eating and a quick shower, Mac kissed his wife and told her she should go take a break and he would look after Jesse. Hope knew that Mac viewed this time as a chance to bond with their baby.

"Daddy missed you _so much_ to day," he said to Jesse, kissing the tip of the baby's nose.

Jesse stared at his dad, his head tilting to the side.

Mac laughed.

"I know you can't see me that clearly, yet. But you know who I am. You've been hearing my voice for a long time."

Jesse cooed, his tiny fingers going into his mouth. He might have been a heavily involved godfather to Lucy Messer but how much a person so small could change one's life so much—and so quickly, shocked Mac. From the second he saw his baby in the flesh he would do anything for him and die to protect him.

. Jesse McKenna Taylor was now three weeks old.

And his mom and dad were finally ready to let someone else look after him for an afternoon.

"He's so beautiful, honey," Alicia said, staring at her tiny grandson in her arms. Alicia and Nathan had arrived from Rhode Island. Mac was already at work when his in-laws arrived. And mommy was ready for an afternoon nap. When Jesse went for _his_ nap. Nanny was going to start cooking and freezing meals. Hope was just waking up at six p.m.. Mac was gettimg home about the same time. She laughed to herself hearing her father say to Mac. "You guys did good."

"Hey sleeping beauty," Mac greeted his wife when he entered their bedroom.

Hey," she said rising from the bed and kissing him. "Glad you're home. Looks like we're in for a great supper."

"For sure," Mac smiled. ""Your dad has our boy. I'm not sure we're getting him back. He told me to come here and hang out with you till dinner's ready."

"Oh goody."

Mac took off his work clothes and put on a pair of jeans. He threw his undershirt in the laundry basket that was in the corner of the room, reaching for a grey t-shirt from the closet. The two laid on the bed and chatted on the bed for another half hour till Alicia announced the food was ready.


	15. Don't Go There!

_**Don't Go There!**_

_Rated "M" for mentions of couple intimacy!_

Jesse may have been a full six weeks old for two days but things weren't "back on" for his parents yet. For starters, for _both_ when they saw a bed, they thought of something that started with the letter 's' but it wasn't sex. While they were in the city Alicia and Nathan planned to get the couple to go out for a weekend so they could "relight" the flame.

While Mac rocked Jesse, Alicia and her daughter talked at the table.

Then it came from her mother, the dreaded question from her mother.

So, have you and Mac..."

"Don't even go there, mom!" Hope answered.

"Well, your father and I bought you two a certificate for two nights at the Holiday Inn. Maybe you guys could use it while we're here."

No, Hope and Mac hadn't been intimate yet. As cliche, as it sounded, they were just too tired. A weekend away from her husband _did_ sound great to Hope. She knew she wouldn't have to worry about Jesse. She and Mac could just be a couple and focus on each other. The only thing that could get in the way was if Mac got called to a crime scene. Mac was looking forward to their "first time" as much as his wife. Though they hadn't been as "deprived" as some couples; The two had made love the night before Hope went into labor. Still, the couple looked forward to being "reacquainted" now that Hope were no longer pregnant.

When the two got that, after a night of solid sleep in the hotel room, it was as good as they expected. She was warned that the first time having intercourse after giving birth c be painful and normally was. She didn't know whether she was just fortunate or it was just her husband's "skill," but pain wasn't what she felt.

What she _did_ feel was Intense pleasure and only that.

The way their grandson responded to his dad was noticed by Alicia and Nathan Conway. If Jesse was crying, at the sound of his dad's voice, he would immediately stop. Nathan mused that maybe there must be something to the fact that Mac was the first to touch his son. In addition to calming down if he was crying, Jesse would coo and smile at the sight of Mac. He would smile for mom, too but he seemed especially excited to see dad. When their daughter told them she believed she had found happiness with a man older than her by more than ten years, they were skeptics.

Big time.

However, when their youngest child had always made good decisions but they tried to trust her judgement. It hadn't taken them long to warm up to Mac Taylor and before long, they had their fingers crossed that she would marry him. Their friends had told them it was odd that it was their youngest child who was married to an older man who had given them their first grandchild. They didn't believe Nathan when he said that Hope would probably be the only child of theirs to give them a grandchild. It was just a feeling that neither of their sons would become a parent. Hunter was openly gay so he would have to go the non-traditional way to become a dad but a grandchild to the Conways no matter the child came to be. They shuttered to think about their oldest, daughter Bella becoming a mom. Both wondered what they had done for one child to be so self-centered and cold and yet have have the other three turn out so different.

Alicia was glad that Hope didn't call between 7:00 and 7:30pm. Jesse was crying for that whole time, before basically crying himself to sleep. Any night dad was home Jesse had a routine, a bottle and a cuddle while daddy sang him "The Teddy Bears Picnic."

Hope didn't know there a whole other verse to this song till she had heard Mac sing it to their baby. Nevertheless, the grandparents knew Jesse would none the worst for the wear. In their hotel room, sex over with for now Hope and Mac talking about the moment they realized their lives were on the verge of changing forever.

_Hope __**completely**__ panicked, and was almost hyperventilating when she exited their bathroom. She had been having mild. irregular contractions for the past few hours. Now there was no question it was "showtime."_

_ "Mac," she said, starting to breathe fast. "My water just broke...I..."_

_ Mac went across the room to his wife's side. He put an arm her shoulder and another hand on the back of her head. _

_ "Shh...honey. You're all right. Let's get dressed and we'll get you to the hospital, okay? Take a deep breath, look at me. Breathe with me, come on. That's it. Good job."_

_ While Mac realized the events stirred panic in his wife but it was causing a surge of excitement in him. _

"I can't believe you didn't crack up laughing at me," Hope said, her head laying in the crook of Mac's arm. The two were laying together after an hour in the jacuzzi.

Mac smiled.

"That would have been mean. And I knew you had to be scared. I didn't mind giving you some love. I would have been happier if you hadn't been scared but I was going to be there for you no matter what."

Having "reconnected" as a couple—and feeling fully rested for the first time in six weeks the Taylors looked forward to seeing their son again.

"I'm glad that mom and dad got to spend time alone with Jesse," Hope said over brunch at the hotel,

"Yeah. But I bet they want us to move to Rhode Island even more now," Mac replied. "Especially since they know that I'll follow you anywhere if you really wanted to move."

"I don't know what would take for her tor mom to realize that Manhattan isn't such a horrible place to raise a family." Hope knew that Mac would indeed retire from the NYPD and move to Seabend, Rhode Island if that was what she really wanted to raise their family. "I think if I were to decide to relocate anywhere, it would be Chicago. Then you could show Jesse all places you did things growing up. I can see myself ever moving back to Rhode Island."

As much as her mother hated the fact, Manhattan was now home to Hope.


	16. Day Out

_**Day Out**_

_Profile information updated!_

A handful of pictures of his wife and baby boy adorned Mac's desk. This helped Mac through long shifts that were filled with stacks of paperwork. So far, since he had become a father Mac hadn't had a case that involved a child. He was grateful for that but knew that the lucky streak could end with any call. Jesse was already growing up so fast. He was starting to notice and be intrigued by different shapes and colors. They could lay down him on a mat on the carpet and he could amuse himself having now discovered his hands. He could hold his head up for a few seconds at a time and was smiling and cooing a storm. Mom was even finding a few minutes to sit and relax. Jesse was awake for longer periods of times but being able to amuse himself for short periods, mom could actually have some moments of "me time" even if it was to close her eyes on the couch.

"Lucy keeps asking when she can come to see Jesse again. She said he can't come to our apartment 'cause there's no baby stuff there since she outgrew it," Danny said in his office after the two had gone over a file.

"Bring her over on Saturday. She can spend the afternoon. I'm sure she\ll keep Jesse thoroughly entertained. And it'll be good for him to see a new face in person. He only sees his uncles and grandparents over skype a few times a week."

Jesse was enjoying his first day out in the city, a ride in his stroller to enjoy the fresh spring air. Hope stopped at the park and bought an ice cream cone from a nearby vendor. She sat down on a bench and turned Jesse's stroller around so he could watch the people go by. They weren't far from home it felt good to get out. Hope was glad she had taken her husband's suggestion. She wondered if Jesse noticed the large flock of birds flying above and if he did, how clearly he saw them. Listening to a toddler in a swing a distance away, Hope smiled thinking of the day they would be doing that with Jesse.

Jesse cooed loudly, bringing his mom out her daydream.

"What is it, handsome?" She said, turning the stroller to see him. "You see the pretty birdies?"

Mac called his wife on her cellphone while on their outing. He was pleased to hear his wife and son were out getting some fresh air. It was hard to get out with a new baby when two of them were home and as much she adored their son and enjoyed motherhood, seeing the same walls and being with just the baby all day had to be monotonous at times.

"I'll be late today," he said. "I love you. Give Jesse a kiss for me."

It was after nine when Mac entered his home. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. He hung up his coat and walked to the living room. He knew Jesse was asleep by now but he would see his little boy for a another feeding and cuddle shortly. He found his wife relaxing on the couch reading a copy of _People_ Magazine.

"Hey baby," she greeted him.

"Hey," Mac replied. He leaned in and kissed his wife and let the moment linger, a comfort he took after a long day and difficult case.

"Guess who decided to make a grand appearance finally?" Hope said.

Bella had called her sister a few hours ago and told her she had "pencilled in" a day to meet _James_, on a three-day business trip to the city. It angered Hope that Bella couldn't at least remember her nephew's name.

_"Who's that? Someone I don't know? My son's name is __**Jesse**__, Try to remember that for a day or two," Hope has snapped._

Mac didn't need to ask who his wife was referring to.

"When she coming in?"

"Sunday."

Hope told Mac about the meeting being 'pencilled in' and how Bella didn't even remember their baby's name.

Mac scoffed. "Good. I'll be here for it."

One wrong remark in front of Mac Taylor and Bella was going to get an earful she would never forget.

And her younger sister was going to sit by and let it happen, Mac would say everything and more that Hope couldn't. The girls' parents weren't about to defend Bella, either. Nathan and Alicia couldn't understand how Mac was holding back on giving Bella a piece of his mind. But both he and his wife had a feeling that once Bella entered the Taylor home it wouldn't be long before the shit hit the fan.


	17. Only Said

"_**Only" Said (Or the 'smackdown' chapter)**_

Bella Conway didn't have a filter. Nor did she know when to shut up. All her life this hadn't bothered her. She thought the people could learn to deal with it. She wasn't about to change for anyone or anything. No matter what she said or did, she didn't believe her sister would agree with her husband to throw her out of their New York City apartment

She had been there all of an hour, held the baby-at arm's length for all three minutes and wondered aloud "what the hell his problem was" when Jesse started to scream. From the moment she stepped in the door, the snide remarks started. She remarked that Hope must be disappointed that Jesse didn't look like her and so much like Mac.

"Too bad his eyes aren't blue. Blue eyes are so cute on babies."

"_I_ think he's _perfect_ as he is," Hope replied, trying to restrain her building rage.

Mac said nothing, anger building up in him as well.

With each word she said Bella was making her situation worse and wearing out any welcome she had. She criticized how the `mess`of baby things around the home ruined the look of the home. The fact that the baby slept in the couple`s room. Jesse was fussy and crying; not even dad could find something that soothed him. Then the three-month-old baby spat up most of his formula, all over the spit cloth of his mother's shoulder and her new shirt.

"Fuck, does he ever _shut-up_?" Bella huffed, annoyed. "Not only is he _loud_ and smelly, he's messy, too. Does he always make such a_ racket?_ You guys really should invest in baby Benadryl. You might actually get a bit of peace and quiet around here again."

That did it.

"Get out," Mac ordered her. "Get your stuff and _get out_."

Bella looked at her sister, hoping she would argue with her husband. She didn't, she backed him up, not just because it was what a wife were supposed to do with her man, but agreed with him a thousand percent.

"Get out before _I_ have _much_ more to say to you."

Right now their priority was making their precious son feel better.

The presence of Bella appeared to upset Jesse being he calmed some after she left though it took his parents close to an hour completely settle him down and for him to fall asleep for his afternoon nap.

Back at the Barrington Hotel, Bella had wasted no time calling her parents in Rhode Island to whine how her sister and brother-in-law had treated her.

And oh yes, to state how "unruly" and "spoiled" baby Jesse was.

Aliicia was so furious she literally couldn't speak. He had to give the phone to Nathan.

"_What the fuck is wrong with you, girl?"_ He bellowed. "How _dare_ you speak to them like that in their own home!" The older man couldn't bring himself to address a three-month-old baby being "unruly" and "spoiled."

Alicia then began to worry about if Hope and Mac, and certainly Jesse were doing all right. She had to call and find out. Using her cellphone she dailed the Manhattan number. The family of three were just fine. The moment Bella had left their home Mac had kissed his wife and baby.

"You guys all right?" He asked softly.

"We're fine, but I don't think Bella will be once she calls our parents and complains she 'only' said."

Mac smiled. "For Sure."

Hope reassured her mother she, Mac-and Jesse were great. Alicia felt she should have known that Bella couldn't come between the couple. The relationship was too strong.

"Jesse's okay?" Alicia asked.

"Yeah. Mommy had a new shirt on. I guess he thought it should meet the washing machine."

"Oh," Alicia laughed.

It was possible that Jesse had sensed how his aunt felt about him or the tension she bought to the apartment, or maybe it was just the normal after-meal behavior of a three-month-old baby.

None of the couple's friends could believe that how Hope's sister had behaved. That evening when Danny and Lindsay asked them to come out for dinner while Lucy was spending time with Lindsay's mother who was visiting from Montana for a week.. The two accepted just so they could vent. Lindsay knew she was going to hear that Bella was a bit "difficult" and may have stepped out of line slightly but what they heard, especially about _drugging_ the baby to make him quiet Lindsay was flabbergasted, as was Danny. When Hope had had first told the couple that they had thrown her sister out of the apartment, it surprised them. Till they heard the rest of the story.

"Sister or not, I would have smacked her," Lindsay said.

"That's how they do it in the country, huh?" Danny teased "I can't believe that she said you should _drug_ this lil' guy!" Danny said, looking at Jesse was content in his carrier on to the chair next to his.

Danny and Lindsay was protective of their godson. They would let have anything happened to him. The way they saw it, Bella Conway should _never_ be around Jesse ever again. They had a feeling without being told that that was going to be the case. Danny picked up the infant when it was time for his feeding. Jesse's parents were fine with the break.

It felt good to vent about their "adventure" to their friends. When the two returned to their home, they found a surprise in the lobby.

Two, actually.

Hope's brothers, Hunter and Blake. They had planned their surprise visit before they knew their obnoxious older sister was making an appearance. They knew now _and _how she had acted. They planned to head over to the Barrington Hotel to tell her what they thought on that-after they met their little nephew for the first time. They were going to be in town a day longer than Bella. They would enjoy their meeting the boy though.

Unlike some people.

"I thought that parents of an infant didn't get a chance to go out," Hunter said from across the building lobby. Neither Mac or Hope had noticed them. Hope excitedly hugged her brothers, then the men greeted Mac with a handshake.

"What are you guys here?" Hope asked.

It a rhetorical question. They came to see Jesse, not necessarily to see her and Mac. Unlike meeting his aunt, Jesse enjoyed meeting his uncles, before he got tired. While Mac put him changed his diaper and got him ready for bed, the three siblings chatted.

"You had the _perfect_ chance and reason, or reasons to smack Bella and you didn't! What's wrong with you?" Hunter joked. "Do you know how long it might be before you get another chance like that!"

"If I were five, I\d agree with you," she replied.


	18. Led To You

_**Led to You **_

Mac was beginning to think he got more exercise chasing after now six-month-old Jesse, than he got chasing down criminals. Jesse wasn't crawling quite yet but he was scooting across the carpet on his bottom. He was fast on his way to crawling though and didn't require any help sitting up all on his own. He seemed to never stop moving when he wasn't asleep. Jesse was a mirror-age of his father at that age and a daddy's boy to boot. Mac had grown used to getting odd looks when people heard he had an infant son. Eyes got even wider when he saw his attractive, younger wife. Deep down, Mac and Hope both believed that along with fate, the spirit of Claire, Mac's late wife—even if Hope hadn't ever met her, had had a hand in making sure the two crossed paths. After that it had taken little for their relationship to blossom. From the amount of babbling he did, his parents thought he would be talking a blue streak by his first birthday. A week ago, so dad and mom could enjoy a night to celebrate their second wedding anniversary, Jesse had his first sleep- over at his godparents' apartment. Lucy Messer was like a big sister to him and she entertained him till he was too tired to stay awake.

"I can't believe how much he looks like Mac," Danny commented when they put their young charge to bed in Lucy's old crib that they reassembled for that night.

"I know," his wife said. "It's almost like cloning was perfected."

Danny chuckled. "Good one, Montana."

* * *

><p>After dinner for two at an upscale Manhattan restaurant, the couple headed back to their apartment where a trail of clothes littered their hallway leading to their bedroom. They couldn't be quite so passionate or care-free if their son were in the vicinity. The Taylors promised to return the favor when Lindsay and Danny's anniversary come around.<p>

"What was your first thought when I asked you to dinner that day?" Mac asked his wife, referring to their first date. They lay in bed, savoring the time.

Hope smiled.

She had her eye on Mac Taylor since she saw him in the diner. But she hadn't wanted him to think she was a gold digger or "sugar-baby" wanna-be so she didn't ask him out herself. That had been the only thing stopping her. Mac laughed when can't she told him this. He knew where she was coming from, even if he did not, some men would probably think that way. "I found it sweet that you were so nervous," Hope said.

"Me?" Mac feigned denial. "I was_ not_ nervous."

Hope snorted.

"Oh, really? How would you explain your difficulty in put together a question?"

"Okay," Mac chuckled. "I was intimated but it was all _our _fault."

"_My fault?_" His wife replied, poking him in the side. "How would that be?"

"I was intimidated by your beauty," Mac grinned.

"_Great save there, Taylor_!" His wife said, kissing him passionately kissing him.

"You can't tell me that no other man ever told you that before?" Mac asked his wife tenderly and kissing her back.

"Not until you, Mac Taylor."

And she wasn't lying. She hadn't ever been with anybody who had such a way with words, even if he thought he didn't.


	19. Sweet Effects

_Note to Readers, if you haven't read the Fifty shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L. James yet, you __**should**__! It's awesome!__** :)**_

_**Sweet Effects**_

He didn't take notice of it till Adam Ross pointed it out.

The sight of his son always put a smile on his face.

"He does," Mac acknowledged, smiling.

It didn't matter what hour it was or what he had been through at work that day the sight of his little boy, a child Mac had thought he had lost the chance to have, made Mac smile. His friends joked that if Jesse was bought in the room in the middle of the most intense interrogation Mac's face would break into a smile and his eyes would light up. Jesse was teething right now, that meant he had more frequent cuddle time with daddy at night. Although he loved the time, Mac hated to see his "little man" hurting. His parents didn't like to medicate the boy but sometimes that was the only thing that helped— especially at night. The assurance from the baby's physician, and Sheldon Hawkes was also a help. They learned children's Advil worked better over children's Tylenol because of it's anti-inflammatory properties. It his dad's relief Jesse was sleeping peacefully when he got home from work. He had had a fever earlier in the day that had required medication but he had gone to sleep without the help of any medicine.

Mac heard voices from the living room, Hope was skyping with her father. They were chatting about the new steakhouse that Hunter had opened the previous month. The Arizona eatery called _Shaye's,_ after the family's first pet, was a hit so far and had a full house of satisfied customers every night.

"Your brother says you two and Jesse should take a trip to Tempe for your next vacation," Nathan said.

Hope didn't tell her father that on their first family vacation was going to be to Chicago. She wanted to see and wanted Jesse to see where his dad grew up. And Mac told his wife that he really had no reason to go back home since his parents were long deceased and until he met Hope and Jesse was born he hadn't have anyone to show his hometown to. When she mentioned to him that she wanted him to show her the windy city, Mac's initial response was to shrug and say "there's not much to see."

_"Oh right!" Hope had replied. "That's why it's rated one of the top places for tourism in the country!"_

_Mac caved. _

_ "All right. Our first family vacation, we'll go to Chicago."_

But that trip wouldn't be any time soon.

Father and daughter were finished their chat when Mac exited the bedroom in his lounging clothes. Mac leaned in and kissed his wife's cheek as she turned off the computer, she tilted her face toward him accepting the gesture. She then stood and wrapped her arms and returned his kiss, more deeply and on the lips.

"Umm," Mac said, smiling. "Feels like somebody missed me."

"Always," Hope replied.

Unfortunately mommy and daddy didn't get long together before they heard noise through the baby monitor.

"I got him," Mac said.

Both knew it was Jesse's "teething cry."

"What's the matter, buddy?" Mac said to his baby who was sitting up in his crib.

Jesse's sobs stopped for a brief second at the sound of his daddy's voice and the sight of him. Brown eyes bright with tears stared at Mac. The father scooped the baby up and kissed his head. Jesse's chubby little hands gripped the cotton of his father's undershirt and buried his face in the fabric. Mac hugged his son tightly and rubbed his back in small circles, seemed comforted and not quite comfortable. Daddy laid Jesse on the changing table, expertly and swiftly changing his diaper. Using wet wipes from the side of the table he cleaned both his and Jesse's hands before scooping up his now much happier son from the changing table.

"That's better, isn't it?" Mac said kissing Jesse's head,

He had Jesse fast asleep again in twenty minutes, giving him more time with his wife.

"You put me to shame," Hope said, putting down the book she was reading _Fifty Shades Freed_ by E.L. James.

Her husband grinned "I'm gifted."

That he was and in more than one area. As 'gifted' as the fictional Christian Grey were in the bedroom he had nothing on Mac Taylor.


	20. Day with Daddy

_**Day with Daddy**_

His wife's childhood best friend Pam Hogan was spending her birthday weekend in Manhattan. Mac thought it was nice for the two women to spend time together seeing the sights of the city. Even though she had attended their wedding Pam had never really seen much of the city. The girls planned to go to dinner and a Broadway show on Friday. The two went to Pam's hotel for a girls' day for the full treatment at the spa on Saturday. Afterwards the two bought back take-out Chinese back to the Taylor home, Pam really wanted to see more of little Jesse Taylor. While she and Hope were hanging out and having "girl time" together Jesse and his dad had been having "guy time." While this consisted of mostly hanging out at home and playing on the floor together, on Friday the two had also gone for a walk to the ice cream where Jesse tried strawberry-banana frozen yogurt for the first time. Then on Saturday, before it started to rain, the duo went to the central park zoo where Jesse was captivated by the Big Cat Exhibit.

Pam Hogan hadn't seen her best friend so happy. She wished she could find such a great relationship. She was pretty sure but she wasn't totally decided whether she wanted children yet. Pam was constantly on the look out for a man. She asked Hope how he found the right man.

"You know me. I was perfectly happy being single. I wasn't looking. Maybe when you _stop_ looking, the right one will come along. And he may not be in the packaging you expect."

Hope never expected to fall head over heels in love with a man over ten years her senior.

"You saying that you were surprised that Mac Taylor came in such sexy 'packaging'?" Her friend teased her.

Hope just laughed.

One of Jesse's favorite meals was Chef Boyardee beef ravioli. A taste he might have gotten from his mom.

"I bet mommy is having a great time with Pam," Mac said to the baby as he fed him the last spoonful. "They should be back here soon."

Jesse's laughter when they entered the apartment made Pam smile. He may have not come in the "packaging" anyone expected for Hope but he was the husband and father that any family would kill to have. The baby grinned at Pam and kissed his mommy when the two arrived home but insisted on staying in daddy's arms.

Her friend had a wonderful family. Pam knew herself but she was seriously taking in consideration taking Hope's advice to cease constantly being on the look-out for a man, and maybe the right one would come to her.


	21. Some Extra Time

_**Some Extra Time **_

_Chapter rated "M" for sexuality._

Mac had barely seen his wife and son in a week, thanks to a string of armed robberies at jewelry stores. His little boy was getting so big so fast. Eight-month-old Jesse was looking like a mini-version of his father everyday. He would be talking any day now if his constant babbling was any indication. It wasn't Mac, or his occupation she was mad at when her son asked for "da" the last several days, it was the "god damn" string of robberies that kept her husband from being home. She felt lucky though that Mac wasn't the kind of guy who was "give me space" when he _was_ home now. The couple made sure they got plenty of kisses-and family hugs in when Mac was there. Marrying a crime scene investigator, she knew she had signed on for this but it wasn't easy nevertheless. It was the ninth day that Hope and Jesse had seen Mac since he left in the morning. It was 6:00 and Hope had given the baby his bath early and she had him laid on the living room floor to dress him. She had the news on the tv on in the background. As she tickled her son while buttoning his undershirt she heard the newscaster say _"in other news, the city and jewelry stores can rest tonight. The NYPD has conclusively linked and arrested three men and one woman in connection with the string of robberies that has plagued the city for a week..."_

"Hear that, lil' man?" She said, standing Jesse up. The infant's legs were still a tad wobbly so he would be standing soon. "Looks like we just might get daddy back."

And they did. As much as crime scene investigator allowed.

After a case like this the team usually went out to their usual bar to celebrate but today everyone was going home to their families. Lindsay could barely catch her breath she laughed so hard when Mac said he was even looking forward to changing Jesse's diapers.

"Sorry Mac," she said, "but you don't realize how funny that sounds!"

"DA!" Jesse said loudly.

This time it was not a question as it had been in the past few days.

It was a statement.

Daddy had come into the living room.

Mac was just as happy to see his family.

"I missed you guys," Mac said, hugging his wife and son at the same time.

Jesse nuzzled into his father's neck, leaving drool on his skin. Mac grinned and kissed the boy's head.

He was truly glad to be home. Simply getting the chance to cuddle a sleepy Jesse as the tot fell asleep felt wonderful. Mac tried to move his hand that was gently placed on his son's abdomen, Jesse's little hand reached and grabbed his dad's large one, as if to stop him. Mac smiled.

"Okay, buddy," he whispered, "daddy'll stay for a another while."

Mac knew Jesse might be a baby but he had his way to expressing what he felt. He could miss his dad when he hadn't seen him in what for him was an extra long while. Jesse fell into a solid sleep, still holding tightly to his daddy's hand. Mac smiled, carefully—and slowly removed his hand from his son's grasp all the while smiling.

_Now it's time to give mom some well-deserved attention,_ he thought.

Being mommy all day was exhausting. But there wasn't ever a time that Hope was "too tired" for se_x _with Mac. The first time they had made love, just twenty-nine days into their relationship. He didn't leave. They made nearly all night, only stopping for moments in between to catch their breath. Hope had heard chatter while with her girlfriends how men in uniform "knew what they were doing" in the sack.

They were right.

The fact that Mac donned _two_ uniforms, one of a marine sergeant and then that of a cop, must have made him even more 'skilled.' The few new friends that Hope had made at her new job noticed her tired appearance the following morning after the couple "first time." Some knew that she was seeing someone in the city but so far she wasn't saying anything about him, she didn't feel she knew anyone well enough yet.

_"I take it you and sexy Mr.X hit the sheets last night," one of the girls named Elena said to her in the break room the following morning. "And he was good at it."_

All Hope did was smile.

"Good" was not the word. Being a little sore from not having sex in a long time. Hope hadn't been with a man whose manhood was like Mac Taylor's. And it was everything that some women talked about.

_ "You and your special friend got it on last night," Danny teased a just as tired looking Mac Taylor who was drinking his second cup of coffee at the lab._

_ Mac chuckled in reply. _

_ "Not my style to brag, Danny, you know that," he said._

The couple made love for just about as long that night, grateful that their baby boy was a great sleeper. Across town, the Messers weren't as lucky, four-year-old had naturally missed her parents very much and insisted on sleeping in her parents' bed. They had missed her as well so part of them having her so close—but it still would have been "nice" to have sex. The case had been long and stressful and the "release" would have been welcomed.

Maybe they would get it the next night.


	22. Jesse-o-saurus

_**Jesse-o-saurus**_

Though he wasn't yet a year old Jesse Taylor still went trick or treating.

At daddy's workplace anyway.

He couldn't eat candy because he didn't have many teeth but he could eat things like baby biscuits and soft cheese puffs. Everyone at the lab had some of these on hand for the little guy when he dropped around.

"Cutest dinosaur I've ever seen," Lindsay Messer said, while giving Jesse a hug. The baby grinned, two of his bottom teeth showing. Jesse's dinosaur costume was green with blue polka-dots in the front and blue scales on the back from head down the tail on the costume.

That morning before Mac left mom had put Jesse in his costume and she took a picture of dad and son together. She also took one using Mac's cellphone—a photo he had showed everyone when he got to work. While visiting, Hope and her son also ran into Trey Flack, now eighteen-month-old—who was a mini version of _his_ dad—and was dressed as _Woody_ from _Toy Story_. Another playdate for the boys was arranged for the following week. Trey wasn't enjoying his trip for treats as much as Jesse. Some of the decorations put up for Halloween scared the toddler. He spent most of the time with his face buried in dad's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Stella and Mac were out at a crime scene and didn't get to see the children visit. Disappointed that he missed his "little man" visiting Mac arranged to meet up with the two for lunch. Jesse had had enough of his costume and wasn't wearing it when Mac came to the booth at the diner. His wife had ordered his usual roast chickrn dinner with baked potato and green beans. She ordered the meatloaf and gravy with mashed potatoes and honey-glazed baby carrots. Jesse had already eaten his lunch, jarred baby food. Seeing his dad, Jesse although he was sleepy-eyed, squealed and put his arms from where he sat in his stroller. Mac scooped him up before leaning over the table to kiss his wife. Hope told her husband how Trey Flack was afraid of the Halloween decor. In Mac's opinion that was because both encouraged his fear when Trey saw elaborate decorations around the city during the holidays so they avoided certain places, a big mistake in the Taylors' opinion, instead of showing Trey there was no need to be scared. Jesse, on the other hand, laughed at animated decorations, no matter how scary or ugly they were supposed to be. That was possibly because from the time he was a newborn he was around everything. Stella and Don were beginning to see how they handled son's reactions wasn't the right way. They just weren't sure how to reverse it. Lindsay had told them that when Trey became scared by something Halloween to tell Trey that mom or dad were there, he was okay and they were not leaving the situation. The toddler would eventually get used it. That was the same thing that the Taylors would have said.<p>

Although she _loved_ to look at and handle things that were supposed to be gross and scary—she was Danny's daughter, after all, Lucy Messer was dressing as _Tinkerbell _for trick or treating. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, Hope thought the little girl would especially adorable. Lucy would be coming by the lab with her babysitter in her costume just before the end of her parents' shift and would be coming by the Flack and Taylor homes that night.

Lucy was indeed an adorable _Tinkerbell_. The Taylor Residence was her last treat or trick stop at 7:30. She was disappointed to see that Jesse was gone to bed. Hope suggested that the little girl have her parents ask her babysitter to bring over to see her "cousin" the next day.


	23. Where Home Is

_**Where Home Is...**_

Lucy Messer didn't come over the following day. Hope had forgotten that this Friday was her and Mac's "date night." Jesse was spending the night at the Messers' anyway. It was a babysitting trade-off the two couples had once a month, a godparent "deal" some might say. Most of the time "date night" consisted of a dinner for two out, then a show or a movie if there was anything that caught Hope's eye on posters around the city or in the paper or if that wasn't anything like that, the two rented a movie to watch at home on the sofa. It could be counted on one hand how many of these nights didn't end in sex.

At the Messer home, Jesse Taylor was awake for a diaper change and a bottle. Lucy was in bed and asleep for some time. Though not having to wake up several times in the middle of the night for the past three or so years agreed with the couple, having Jesse around made the two think having a second child was something they should genuinely consider—even if there was a four year gap between a new baby and Lucy. They didn't believe it was "too late" or the age gap would be "too big," even if some parents did. And as far as money and time, they knew they could make things work, as long as they worked together—as the couple had learned with the many trials they had been through in the past four years. Everyone suspected that Stella and Don Flack were trying to conceive again, with the blatant fact that she had asked for lab duty for the next few months. Pregnant personnel were not permitted in the field for obvious reasons and were restricted in the lab as well due the effects certain chemicals could have on both her and the unborn child. Mac's eyes raised slightly when he heard Stella's request but told her he was sure that could be arranged. _Why_ Stella was making such a request didn't go over Mac's head. It would be only one reason a CSI like Stella would ever make this request. A second child wasn't on the radar for the Taylors yet. Though they absolutely wanted to expand their family at some point.

* * *

><p>Jesse cooed loudly leaning his forehead into his godfather's chest. He yawned, rubbed his eyes and began to fall asleep again. From all the crawling and trying to stand the tyke had done in the few hours he had been over there Danny were surprised that the boy even up. Once comfortable again Jesse was solid asleep in Danny's arms.<p>

"There ya go, little guy," he said, carefully laying the baby down in the portable playpen where the baby slept during overnight visits.

His wife was listening from their bed with her eyes closed. Pretending to be sleeping.

_Yep, it was definitely time to seriously discuss another mini Messer._

The more her grandson grew the more Alicia wished he didn't live in Manhattan. She knew it was home to the family but being the hoovering mom she was, even though her children were grown, daily she would search headlines to see if any violent crimes that had taken place in Phoenix Arizona, Denver Colorado and of course, New York City. Her husband told her she was going to drive herself crazy and give herself an ulcer, too. Alicia wanted to have all of her family closer to her in what she believed was safest place in the USA.

Seabend, Rhode Island.

Maybe Seabend had a lower crime rate, Hope and her brothers acknowledged that. In fact, the city could downright dull, not much for children of any age to do. Living in places with much bigger populations and higher crime rates didn't mean children had worse lives than ones who grew up in small towns. If that was the case, many places would be put under Marshall law on a permanent basis. New York City was known for many good things as well, Alicia seemed to forget that. When it came down to it Nathan thought it was not being able to see their only grandchild on a regular basis was what really bothered his wife. It upset him too but unless someone was to move, nothing could be done about this. Everyone knew that even if things somewhat didn't work out in the future with Mac, there was no way that Hope was going back to Rhode Island. Firstly, she wouldn't dream of taking Jesse out of New York and a distance from his dad. And secondly, dispute her mother not understanding, she loved New York, plain and simple.

Alicia had smiled but seemed sad, looking at the pictures and short video Hope had sent of Jesse in his Halloween costume. At least now there was Skype.


	24. Collision

_Profile Updated! _

_**Collision**_

Trey Flack giggled uncontrollably.

His fear of Halloween seemingly temporarily gone, he found the pumpkins, witches and ghosts his dad was drawing in bright colored crayons funny. It was a start at least for him to see that pumpkins and ghosts even if they had ugly faces weren't anything to be scared of. Their friends weren't wrong that Don and Stella Flack were intending to expand their family. Stella was not pregnant yet and unless she planned to use the mailman or FedEx guy, with the shifts Don was working lately it was probably going to be a while before Stella was pregnant again, unless one of their "quickies" in the shower was a lucky one.

Unless most previous years, nothing gruesome happened on this Hallo's Eve itself to mark the occasion for the group. But just twenty-four hours later, it was like each man's personal world had collided for Danny, Mac and Don.

For Don, it was a toddler beaten into a coma—and unlikely to make it through the night—by parents who were angered by the two-year-old's jealousy of the baby they had bought home a week before. The newborn was unharmed and in Child Protective Services custody. The parents were being held, having waived bail. The couple stated that they feared neighbors who "didn't understand their situation" would harm them. They both expressed little to no remorse for their accused actions. They acknowledged hurting the boy, claiming that frustration and exhaustion made them "go too far" as they had "punished" the toddler for his repeated outbursts throughout the day. A friend who had come over to visit the new baby had noticed the marks and how "dazed" the toddler looked. She had left the apartment immediately and called 9-1-1. Paramedics and police, who alerted CPS. By the time an ambulance arrived, just minutes later the boy was in and out of consciousness and his breathing was shallow.

In the Bronx, Danny was called to a home where a woman was found dead—by her five-year-old daughter. So far, everything was pointing to the death being a burglary gone bad. The woman was single, a widow whose husband had died in an accident on the job four years before. Her child had been entered the home after having a sleep over at the neighbor's five doors down.

The child was now shocked into silence. She had been able to go tell the same neighbor that "something was wrong with mama." After that she hadn't spoken a word. Something that Danny could understand, and as a dad, it tugged at his insides even more. Yes, he very much hoped that the therapist the child was seeing could regain her voice, and possibly help find who killed her mom and beyond that he hoped even if she couldn't do that, Danny hoped the psychologist could help the child find some peace, and help her realize she couldn't have stopped what happened to her "mama." Seeing what she saw, would haunt anyone of any age, but a child discovering her only surviving parent had to be indescribably traumatic. The child who was named Sophia-Grace, was now staying with her maternal aunt in Brooklyn Heights. None of the woman's family, friends or co-workers could think of anything who would want to harm Sophia-Grace's mom, Leah Miller. Leah wasn't wealthy. The life insurance policy had just paid for her husband's funeral. Leah or Sophia-Grace, rather, did receive social security benefits because her dad was deceased, but those just helped with the child's food, clothing and school costs. Leah worked as a home personal care attendant for the elderly to support herself and her child. The tiny settlement they had received from the construction company where her husband worked had covered the two's living expenses for the six months Leah taken off work to grieve the loss of her husband thus was long gone. Danny tried as hard as he could, but he couldn't help but think about his own precious daughter. No child deserved to live with such a memory.

Mac had been dispatched to Queens, where a woman and her husband had been found shot to death. Nobody had heard the shots, but the couple's one-year-old son was left in his crib, unharmed. The babysitter, who had a key to the home, had let herself in that morning, heard the baby's cries and found the bodies of his family in the living room. The gun was nowhere to be find, so a murder-suicide was ruled out. There weren't any suspects but a definite motive for the murders. The motive being the husband in this case, was often mistaken for a cousin of his who was a pedophile. The mistake was apparently strictly by the two men's striking resemblance to each other. The two hadn't seen or spoken to each other since childhood. The victim, unlike his cousin didn't have a criminal record and was a trusted individual at the community center where he worked and around the neighborhood. It was looking as if he was the intended victim and his wife become caught up in the fray. Neither had defensive wounds but from experience Mac knew that in most circumstances, when on the wrong side of a gun, whether it was two or five people, you didn't fight back. And it was highly possible too, that they hadn't wanted to let the attacker know that their baby son was in the other room. The couple likely knew they were going to die and wanted their baby to live.

Mac actually had tears in his eyes driving home.

_If it had been Jesse in that crib..._he kept thinking.

Whether she noticed his eyes were a bit red when he arrived home Hope, didn't say. Mac had been able to pull himself together before entering the apartment. He had made himself cease thinking of what _could_ be and reminded himself of what he had waiting for him at home.


	25. Wishes

_**Wishes **_

_Does this chapter need an "M" rating the little snippet of couple action? Let me know you think so!_

The crimes that Mac, Danny and Don had investigated in one night were a "prime example" of life in a city of over eight million people. And how it was "far too dangerous" for any member of her family, Jesse's grandmother thought.

The toddler whose assault Don Flack had investigated was now a murder case. As predicted the boy had died two hours after arriving at the hospital. And now preliminary autopsy results were indicating that the boy was the victim of abuse prior to the assault that took his life. Reading the article from her home computer, Alicia Conway thought, being a horrible but familial crime, it could have occurred anywhere. However the seemingly random murders that Mac and Danny had investigated were examples of why the big apple wasn't a safe place to raise a child.

_Especially her grandchild_.

How she wished every night the three would move away from there.

But Jesse Taylor had the most protective parents and circle of friends who were surrogate family. Hope was a stay-at-home by choice, not necessity, so the chance of Jesse ending up in the newspaper as the victim of abuse or worse by a nanny wasn't possible. The very thought of leaving her son in someone else's care for such an extended period of time, no matter how much she had to pinch pennies because there was only her husband's income to support the family, was unheard of to Hope. She would miss too much if she choose to work outside the home. Even Lindsay Messer wouldn't work more than part-time hours since Lucy had been born four years ago—unless it was an "all hands on deck" call. And in a case like that a lot of time, she would ask Hope if she could get the babysitter to bring Lucy over to the Taylor home. Hope had always said yes. Lucy was such a sweet child and easy to look after. Likely it was because Hope wasn't her mother, that the almost four-year-old girl listened to her so well but nevertheless, it was a breeze to even get the child to got to sleep which often happened on the times her parents worked late enough for her to go to the Taylors'.

It was two nights after the November first night of crimes that all had to stay late. The Messers felt a mix of relief and guilt about their daughter being over at Mac's home. Relief knowing that Lucy was no doubt beyond content over with Mac's wife but guilt thinking that Hope had enough on her plate with baby Jesse. Sometimes though it was a comfort for the two because if Lucy got to missing her parents and crying for them, Hope had the ability to comfort the child much better than the babysitter. Tonight was one of those nights.

"I want mommy and daddy," the child sniffled, hugging into Hope's body on the sofa.

"I know you do, sweetheart," Hope rubbed the girl's back, Lucy had her legs wrapped Hope's waist and her face buried in her shoulder. Time had to feel longer for someone so young. And it wasn't as if Lucy was asking for a lot, just to see her parents.

_Poor baby,_ Hope thought.

Lucy's parents and Mac arrived at the apartment after 11 p.m. that night. Lucy was sound asleep on the sofa. Hope had got her to settle two hours ago. The two thanked Hope again and gathered their daughter. Lucy stirred but didn't wake when Danny picked her up. Alone now, Mac took his wife in his embrace and kissed her passionately. Hope returned the gesture, running her fingers through his short hair.

"I missed you, too," she smiled.

Mac grinned. Knowing their son were asleep ,for the moment, and a few moments might be all he would have with his beloved before their precious son woke up, Mac picked his wife up in his arms bridal-style and carried her to their bedroom.

"I'm sorry," Mac whispered to his wife, between hot kisses on her now equally hot skin. "I'm sorry I wasn't here much the past two days."

"Shh," she admonished him, silencing him with a kiss. "That doesn't matter."

It never had mattered. As much as it difficult only seeing the man she loved for just a few hours in the past two days but it was a sacrifice she had signed on for. When he was home, on _her_ time, in her "precinct," Mac was present in every way with her and their son. That was all she would ever ask of him. The two had an hour together before they heard Jesse on the monitor.

"I'll get him," Mac said, giving Hope's hair a gentle stroke before he got out of bed. He knew his love wouldn't be awake when he returned to the room after attending to their bundle of joy. He wouldn't expect her to. In between his naps, Jesse was exploring the world and learning new things all the time, keeping his mommy on her toes. Just to lay next to her and hold her sleeping form was enough for Mac.


	26. Snow Day

_**Snow Day**_

A massive snow fall closed all schools and some daycare centers the following morning. Including the one that four-year-old Lucy Messer attended. Mac thought it was a shame that snow days didn't exist for the crime lab. Hope assured Danny and Lindsay that watching Lucy wasn't a big deal. Lucy mightn't be an adult, but she was someone able to talk back and whom Hope could have an actual conversation with. Plus she enjoyed playing with Jesse. She was definitely help entertain him, giving Hope bits of time on her own in the kitchen to check her e-mail or chase up on the books on her e-reader. The little girl arrived at the Taylor apartment with rosy red checks with the cold outside and a big smile on her face. If _she_ were to decide, she'd go to the Taylors _every_ day. In her _Princesses_ backpack, along with an extra set of "just in case" clothes that mom Lindsay insist she bring, there was Lucy's favorite plush toy, an elephant named "Horton," play-doh, a coloring book and a new box of crayons. There was already plenty of children's movies, puzzles and books at the apartment for her.

Lucy was chatty and enjoyed being around people. She helped her aunt wash the morning dishes and fold and sort the laundry from the dryer. Hope planned to bake chocolate chip cookies after that. Lucy was excited to help her.

"I do this with mommy!" Lucy told as the two rolled the dough into neat balls. "But she says dat I can't eat da cookie dough 'cause it might make my tummy sick."

"That's right," Hope said. Though Hope took her chances of getting food poisoning every time she made cookies. She still hadn't come across the one in three thousand eggs that had salmonella in it.

While the two baked, Jesse napped.

At the crime lab, Lindsay again apologized to Mac for asking his wife to watch Lucy but with the daycare center closed and them having to work, they had no other option.

"I don't think apologies are necessary," Mac smiled. "Hope might want to put her on the payroll."

The girls were washing the dishes from their baking when Mac called moments ago. Lucy told Mac that she was going to help Hope change Jesse's diaper and then the baby and her were going to watch _Finding Nemo_. Lindsay knew how her daughter loved Jesse Taylor and smiled at what Mac had told her about Lucy's day so far. She and Danny was hoping to make Lucy a big sister soon. Mum was the word on that till a pregnancy test or two came back positive. It was looking as if the Messer parents—or Mac, weren't going to be home in time for dinner and Lucy was usually hungry around five. Her mommy called to let Hope know. Mac's wife already had that covered. Lucy was eating a grilled ham and cheese sandwich when Lindsay called.

"Lindsay! Don't worry! We're _fine! _It's no problem, really," Hope said.

It was almost seven o'clock by the time Mac and Lucy's parents arrived. Ironically the little girl squealed with delight and ran to Mac, jumping into his arms when she saw him. Practically ignoring her parents.

"Hey there, Lucy," Mac said, kissing the child's cheek when he picked her up. "Did you have a fun day?"

"Uh-huh," Lucy smiled.

With Lucy still in his arms Mac walked over and kissed his wife who was feeding Jesse his bedtime bottle. He then leaned down and kissed the baby's head. Getting to see both his family and the godchild he adored, lightened Mac's mood after all day. The Messers stayed only a few more minutes by then Lucy was almost asleep in Danny's arms. Jesse had outgrown needing help burping. So the moment he was finished his bottle, he reached for his dad.

Mac smiled, taking the boy into his arms. He placed a bundle of kisses on his face and head as the baby nuzzled into his chest, his chubby hands holding onto Mac's jacket for dear life.

"I missed you, too, baby boy," he murmured.

Tucking Jesse into bed it was one of those days when Mac wondered if the job and what it took away from his wife and son was worth it. He and the team had accomplished little in the way of justice in past few days.

However his mind would swiftly come off this topic once he joined Hope in the next room.

_More on this bit of fun in the next chapter!_


	27. Sweet Distraction

_**Sweet Distraction**_

_**WARNING: **__Rated __**"M"! _Our couple get to have some serious couple fun that takes Mac's mind off of the week's disappointments and stress._**_

Some men would complain that the fun was minimized when his wife was already naked when he entered the bedroom, apparently part of the fun was taking her clothes off.

_Fuck that,_ Mac thought, as he almost _ripped_ off _his_ clothes.

With Hope already naked, he could take the two steps across the room and ravage her.

Hope moaned, gripping Mac's short hair, as he ran soft kisses down her stomach, gasping as he neared the core of her sexuality. Hope bit down on her lower lip to keep from screaming out in ecstasy—and waking their son—as Mac went there. But she couldn't help herself as his manhood entered her in one thrust.

Gratefully, their son didn't wake up.

The bed squeaked and Mac groaned as his wife straddled and rode him. With the general hectic pace of their life, the two didn't get to share passion like this often.

Even on Valentine's Day, the two only got the chance to share passion like this often. On that day, they had the chance to exchange gifts, cards and of course, kisses on that morning but that was it. They _had_ dinner reservations but those were taken up by someone else when Mac were still interrogating a robbery suspect. By the time he had returned home there was just enough time for Mac to spend a bit of time with Jesse before the two went to bed themselves.

Both sighed laying together afterward, it had been worth the wait to ravage each other. They absolutely had to do this more often,

Even if they had to "schedule" it.

* * *

><p>Hope wished her best friend, Pam would just spill the beans. For the past ten minutes her best friend since first grade had been plaguing her over the phone with questions.<p>

When she first met Mac, did she have any idea that he would be "the one"?

When did Hope realize Mac was "the one" and was it hard for her to make herself believe it?

Did Hope have any hesitation in saying "yes" when Mac popped the question, or any sense of doubt at the altar?

When they first met, Hope _had a feeling_ Mac might be the one, but because of the age difference and Mac's job, she couldn't be sure so soon. After three months, she _knew _without a doubt he was "the one" for her despite the space between their ages and Mac's occupation. And it wasn't hard to believe at all. When she was proposed to on that morning, she was shocked, overjoyed and the only word on her tongue was _yes!_

Doubt at the altar? Was her friend _kidding?_

Hope told Pam all this.

"Now, _who's the guy_?" She demanded for fifth time.

The guy was named Christopher Wilson. Pam had met him six weeks ago. He lived in neighboring Danville. He had just moved from Alaska. Pam was so taken up with the guy—that she was _already_ talking about _marriage _to him. This was one-sided, to Hope, and most of the world of people who any sense of what respect were in a relationship. Pam said that she told Christopher that if he asked her to marry him 'tomorrow,' she'd say yes.

To which Christopher would reply "and that's why I'm not asking you."

No wink, smile or sarcasm. He was serious.

Hope hated to sound like a mother hen, butthat was the _biggest_ red flag she had heard, not to mention a hurtful comment and worthy of a punch in the jaw. But still Pam thought Christopher meant nothing by it and was just as smitten.

Typical Pam.

But Hope tried to remind herself that her friend _hated _being alone had always had been more impulsive with relationships than herself. She had to remind herself that Pam was a grown woman, free to make her own decisions.

No matter how stupid Hope believed they were.

Even if she had said something about to her friend, which she had done in the past, Pam would just say "oh, Hope!" Mac's wife figured it was a waste of her breath. It was a good thing Pam couldn't see Hope roll her eyes and shake her head. Hope's was slack-jawed when Pam then texted her a photo of herself and Chris.

Pam had got herself a "boy-toy."

Christopher Wilson was only twenty—and looked it.

_You did card this guy before slept with him, right? _She texted in reply.

Pam had always said—and would have Hope believe that she had never slept with any of her boyfriends even if she spent nights with them, because she wouldn't have sex with a guy unless they were married.

But Hope wasn't born yesterday.

_Why? You know we've never done *anything.* _ Pam texted back.

_Sure,_ Hope thought.

_No wonder this guy doesn't want to get married yet! _Hope thought. _ He's was just a kid!_

Still Hope thought that this Christopher Wilson certainly could have answered her friend's marital comment much more nicely.

"Young much?" Mac said, his eyebrows rising, looking at the photo on his wife's cellphone that evening. "Your best friend is a cougar!"

Hope laughed.

"This guy's legal age, right?" Mac quipped.

"Why?" His wife asked, sarcastically. "They don't do anything. You know that."

"Riiight," Mac laughed, rolling his eyes.


	28. More the Merrier

_CBS HAS FINALLY MADE ME BOYCOTT THE NETWORK ALTOGETHER! FIRST THEY CANCEL __**CSI MIAMI**__, NOW __**CSI NEW YORK**__ IS GONE!__ At least Mac got a happy ending!_

_ I hope, like myself, this will not stop you from adding to the world of fanfiction!_

_**More the Merrier**_

Mac and Hope Taylor were 'worlds apart' to many people's opinion. To these people it was strange that the two got together in the first place.

And the same group "pitied" Jesse because "there was no way" his parents' marriage was going to last that long. Besides, the age difference, there was the argument by some that because Mac had so much more "life experience"—having served in the Marine Corp, been deployed to many of the most volatile parts of the globe and then with his experience as a cop and now the head of the NYPD crime lab. Hope was younger than the man she married and was raising a baby with, but "more importantly" didn't have any of this "worldly" experience and hadn't been outside of the USA. She was born in Seattle, Washington and her family had moved to Rhode Island, first to Providence, then to Seabend. She had visited Upstate New York once when she was five. She had attended college in Providence but that was as far as her "travels" went. Still, equal "worldly experience" was not required to fall in love with somebody. There were parts of his "life experience" Mac was glad his wife hadn't gone through, the Beirut bombing, when he himself was critically injured as well as losing many comrades and then two tours of duty during Operation Desert Storm.

And September 11th.

Mac's biggest relief was that was Hope was in the tiny town of Seabend, Rhode Island on that fateful day. Tragically he had lost Claire Conrad-Taylor. a woman he had loved dearly and had intended to spend the rest of his life with, on that fateful day. But just maybe it was meant to be that way. Otherwise he would have never met Hope Conway. If he had _met_ her while married to Claire, he would never have fallen in love with her.

In just five days Jesse would be a year old. His parents knew what was going to come with that.

_When are you two going to have another one?_

The lab "family" was already expanding without the Taylors helping. Don and Stella had forgone getting pregnant again for the time being, deciding on the adoption route as a way to add to the family. For the past four months Don and Stella had been fostering a girl named Ceanna. She had come into their care when she was just two weeks old. The baby's biological parents' rights had recently been terminated by the court and no family members had shown interest in caring for the baby. Because the Flacks were a "foster-to-adopt" family, they would have the first option to adopt Ceanna.

Don and Stella jumped at that chance.

They couldn't imagine their lives without Ceanna after the first day with her. They were happy to call "dibbs" on her. They planned to give Ceanna a new name, Jasmine Grace, when they formally adopted her in a month. Trey Flack has accepted the baby girl as his sister immediately. He was too young to understand or ask why she came to the house in the arms of a social worker instead of from his mom's belly. The Messer family was also going to get bigger. Lindsay Messer was two months pregnant. Who was more thrilled, Lindsay, Danny or Lucy, was a question. Lucy had been asking for a kitten but the prospect of a baby brother or sister has stopped her request for a pet.

Mac and his wife indeed intended to try for a second baby within the next few months. With a one-year-old in the house they had a feeling that conceiving would take a bit longer. At least once a week Jesse ended up in his parents' bed for part of the night just so mom and dad could get some sleep. Parenthood put a dent in them having the time and energy to 'do the deed' as they say. Mac joked to Danny the only reason that he and Lindsay got the chance to conceive was because the Taylors had babysat for them twice that month.

"How 'bout we do a trade-off then?" Danny replied. "Since me and Linds are gonna have to get used to bein' woke up at night, we'll take Jesse on Saturday night."

"Sold!"

Mac made a mental note to pick up champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries for that night.

_ I'm so sorry I haven't written in such a long time but a very close family member of mine died. "L" was only 32 and only lived two weeks after being diagnosed with Bowel Cancer. My muse has been slow to recover._


	29. Really?

_Rated "__**M**__" for sexual content and references!_

_**Really?**_

When he really thought about it, Mac couldn't believe that Hope accepted his marriage proposal. His wife was stunned to hear this when he revealed it to her out of the blue the evening after their son's first birthday party. Hope had her head on Mac's lap on the couch.

_"Seriously?_" She said, rising her head up and staring at him. "You actually thought I'd tell you 'no'? You must have gone temporarily _insane_!" She reached up and kissed her husband deeply, her hand around the back of his head, taking his breath away for a moment.

Mac grinned.

"I can't say I wasn't holding my breath," he admitted.

The first time Mac kissed her, once she caught her breath, all Hope could think was how she would feel like she won the powerball jackpot if she got to be woken up by that kiss for the rest of her life.

_Damn, Mac Taylor could kiss!_

She'd run out of adverbs if she had to describe him in bed. He was the only one who could make her literally scream out in pleasure. God, Hope was surprised she hadn't disturbed the neighbors and there wasn't a knock on the door.

All the fun—and cake, had Jesse tired out. With any luck he would sleep all night and leave mommy and daddy to trying to conceive again. Hope had been off the pill for a week. With Mac's working and then planning Jesse's birthday party, Hope and Mac hadn't had time for intimacy. The mood was right tonight and just maybe they would get lucky and in a month Hope would have a positive pregnancy test.

* * *

><p>The relationship between her best friend Pam and her "boy-toy" Christopher had fizzled out, just the way Hope thought it would. But being a friend, Hope fought the urge to say <em>"I told you so<em>." Pam was devastated by split and Hope wasn't going to kick her when she was down—as much as she longed to; it might knock some sense into her when it came to men and relationships. Hope kept telling herself that her friend only wanted the same life that Hope herself had.

_If she didn't rush into relationships so quickly_ _and was pickier with her choice in the opposite sex, she might have it by now, _Hope thought, before mentally thinking herself again. _She's your best friend! She needs you to be there for her now._

Pam was coming to the cit_y_ for a four-day trip. She was meeting Hope for lunch before going on a tour of the city to take her mind off things. Hope wasn't rub it in, though she wasn't going to deny her joy that she was pregnant again. That night after Jesse's birthday party did the trick. She was ten weeks pregnant. She was thrilled, Mac was, too. Jesse was excited because they were, not being old enough to understand what was going on. Mac had Jesse with him at his office at the lab.

Her friend was quiet during their lunch and Hope didn't badger her. She asked about Jesse and Mac, congratulated Hope on her pregnancy. This was probably the obly time Hope would see her during her time in NYC. She was staying at a hotel and had nearly every minute of her trip filled with something to do or see. This didn't surprise Hope. Pam wanted _anything_ to keep her mind off her break-up. Packing her stay with tourist activities would help with that. Plus, going back to the Taylor home and seeing their lives was going to make her relationship status sting that much more.

"Tell Mac I said hello and give Jesse a kiss for me," she told Hope as she left the café.

"Detective Taylor is certainly close to that little boy," a uniformed officer commented to Danny, gesturing at the sight of Mac and Jesse in his office. Mac was tickling Jesse and Jesse's shrieks of laughter could be heard through the glass walls and closed door.

"Good reason for that," Danny replied. "That little boy is his son. His name is Jesse."

The officer hadn't got a good look at Jesse until Mac exited the office with him.

"_Now_ I see it!" the officer chuckled. "He's a mini-Mac!"

Mac had left his office to go downstairs and escort his wife up. He wasn't surprised to hear from his wife that her friend was depressed when his wife sat down in his office. Jesse had zero interest in going to mom when dad was still around.

"That's too bad," he said, hearing Pam wouldn't be visiting their apartment.

Only a few at the lab were aware of Hope's pregnancy right now.

And that was purely because Mac couldn't contain himself.

"Is she pregnant again?" The same uniformed officer, whom was getting paperwork from Danny asked him.

Before she left Mac's office with Jesse, the officer saw Mac touch his wife's abdomen after he kissed her goodbye.

"Yep. They just found out. Tryin' to keep it low-key. Not doin' a great job of it," Danny replied.


	30. True Family Bonds

_**True Family Bonds**_

She may not have been her biological daughter but Jasmine Grace Flack looked much like her mom with her curly brown hair and big green eyes. Jasmine was eight months old. Stella hadn't ruled out getting pregnant again if she and Don wanted a third child. The adoption process, though it had been relatively quick and straight-forward as foster adoptions went had had it's moments of uncertainty where the couple was sure they would going to lose Jasmine Grace. If that had to happen, it would have been as painful as having to give Trey up, no matter people said. Twenty-four hours was no time at to some people. But that time was all it took for all three to want to make the baby a permanent member of their family. Don and Stella weren't sure they could go through an uncertain experience like that again.

In fact they knew so.

Once their adoption of Jasmine was finalized, they had surrendered their foster parenting license. They had become foster parents to make a difference in the life of a child. They were satisfied they had done just that. Because Jasmine had a severe form of Epilepsy and most her biological family's medical history was unclear, caseworkers thought it was unlikely she would find a permanent home if no relatives stepped forward and if the Flacks had decided not to adopt her. The social worker in charge of Jasmine's case had let it slip that all other potential adoptive families interviewed had declined to take the child. For now and since she were four months of age, the baby's condition seemed to have stabilized. The number and severity of her seizures appeared to have subsided. but this had taken dozens of trips to the children's hospital and to multiple specialists before the right regiment of treatment was found.

Stella wasn't surprised but amused that both Lindsay Messer and Hope Taylor were pregnant again. The Messers had wanted a second child for a long time. They told their friends they were just waiting for the "right time." The couple ultimately realized there wasn't an "right" or "perfect" time. Their lives wasn't going to get any less hectic any time soon, so Lucy's parents just "went for it."

The Taylors?

Stella, at least was shocked they had waited as long as they had to conceive a second baby. It was subtle, but Mac and Hope gave off this heat when they looked at each other. Flack could only imagine what they did with that heat when they got to be alone. After the first time she and Mac had sex, only weeks into their relationship friends who weren't told, but were smart enough to figure it out, asked her if she was going to feel guilty if this was all there was going to be to their relationship, Hope replied "if it was, it was worth it!"

Yes, Mac was that good.

* * *

><p>Saturday and Sunday off was rare for Mac.<p>

He let his pregnant wife sleep in. She had a small wedding to photograph at a house in Queens late this afternoon. No, Mac wasn't _babysitting_. He was being a dad, doing what a dad should be and enjoy doing when he wasn't out earning money to support the family. He gave Jesse a bath after they enjoyed an oatmeal and strawberry breakfast together. It was pouring down rain so Mac's plans to take Jesse to the park were out. It was a day of reading books and playing on the floor. The weather was fitting, because Jesse wasn't keen on wearing anything more than his t-shirt onesie today. He was absolutely keen on giving daddy tons of cuddles and wet kisses, however.

"Daddy loves you, too, my sweet boy," Mac said, embracing his son tightly, Jesse resting his head on his dad's chest, over his heart.

Mac's heart fluttered with joy and excitement knowing he and Hope were going to be blessed with another child. The only difference the second time around was they were calmer because they knew what to expect during pregnancy and the delivery. They were still ecstatic about the new family member in the making. At nine, Hope came to the kitchen for breakfast. She smiled at Jesse with his favorite toy, his stacking rings. Her son grinned at her then went back to playing.

Mac stood, walked over to her and gave her a kiss.

"Did you two sleep well?" he asked, rubbing her abdomen which was beginning to become round.

"We certainly did. What did you guys do this morning?"

They toddled over to his parents and reached up to mom.

Hope picked him up.

"We had breakfast and took a bath. And now we're playing, aren't we, pal?" Mac leaning in and tickling the boy in his wife's arms.

Jesse laughed, grabbing his daddy's hand. He then let go and hugged into Hope's shoulder.

The wedding Hope was photographing had been referred to her by Don Flack's mother. The bride, Penny, was her godchild and she had grown up not far from Don's childhood home. When the bride and groom were making picture arrangements, they asked Hope, knowing she had a young son if she had to hire a babysitter to capture the event. They were adamant about covering that expense in the cost they paid for the photography service.

Hope shook her head and said her husband was going to be home.

"It's Mac you're married to, right?"

Hope nodded.

"Don told us a lot about him. I heard you two are expecting again. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Hope smiled.

The young woman covered her mouth, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have mentioned something so personal!"

"That's all right. I'm sure the news has gone beyond the department by now."


	31. Family Album

_**Family Album**_

Hope was looking forward to spending time with her husband as she neared their apartment building. However, the three police cars blaring past her with full lights and siren gave her a feeling that was not going to be happening. At home, Mac sighed. His phone had rang. He would have to leave the moment his wife came in the door. Hope had her fingers crossed that dispatch would call another investigator. But she knew she wouldn't be that lucky. Mac was dressed again and his kit was waiting by the door when she walked in.

_Fuck,_ she thought. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

Mac came into the hallway, frowning.

"I gotta go," he said, kissing her passionately as always.

Neither wanted to be morbid but if that was to be the last kiss they shared, they wanted it to be a good one.

"I was afraid you were going to say that. Can't they _ever _call someone else?"

Hope knew what she was signing up for when she married a police officer and most times she could cope with it. But she was only human. Was wanting him home for a few nights in a row when he was _supposed_ to be home anyway make her a selfish person? She thought not. She could remember just one of Mac's holidays when he wasn't called to a scene.

"I know, babe," he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb, her face cupped in his palms. "I'll be home as soon as I can."

Don Flack had the same feeling wash over him as his cell phone buzzed two hours before he was supposed to be off-shift. He loathed weekend shifts, especially since becoming a father. Now they would have to finish processing the scene and talking to witnesses _before_ he could log out. He wouldn`t be seeing three-year-old Trey and Jasmine who was five months old the previous day, till the morning. It looked it was going to be the three of them having a Sunday morning pancake breakfast, as Stella had to go into work. Making strawberry pancakes with a toddler running around his legs after just two hours or so of sleep wasn't something an experienced dad like Don Flack couldn't handle

* * *

><p>It was five a.m. before Mac was finished logging in and processing the evidence from the armed robbery where a clerk was shot. The victim, a twenty-one year old college student had survived the ride to the hospital but died in surgery. The surveillance cameras didn't work, most were "dummy" cameras, anyway. Unless something was found in the mass of items collected at the corner store, finding out who robbed the store and murdered the clerk was going to be one of the more complex cases the team came across. The victim was originally from Wyoming, a student at NYU with no family in the state, detectives in the girl's home town would do the death notification. By far, that was part of the job Mac hated the most. Not having to do so this time was somewhat of a relief.<p>

At 5:37am he parked near the apartment building he called home. Despite the early hour, the sounds of his wife and baby boy drifted out from Jesse's nursery. Teething seemed to be waking the baby up more often. No home-remedy worked and they didn't like to medicate Jesse so frequently. Tonight or this morning, Hope resorted to giving Jesse herbal "teething tablets" Sid Hammerback recommended that were all natural. Jesse's mom usually thought such remedies were just as effective as Skittles. Tonight, or rather this morning, whether it simply exhaustion setting in or the tablets Sid suggested were actually working. Jesse had just fell asleep, Hope was laying him down in the crib.

"Long night?" He asked softly from the doorway.

"I'm sure not as long as yours," Hope replied, meeting Mac in the door way and kissing him

Mac smiled and kissed his wife again. The shift had felt much longer than it was actually was because of his longing to be at home where he was supposed to have been. However because of the considerably late hour and the fact Mac's day off was interrupted, he was given today off as a make-up holiday. Jesse was having none of his parents sleeping past eight o'clock especially he was again being bothered by his gums.

"What's the matter, lil' man?" Mac said to the baby, walking into the room.

He picked his son up in his arms and kissed him. It was mornings like this when he and his son were both tired and contrary that Mac seriously contemplated retirement.

What would it like to not have to rush through breakfast and dash out the door?

To then put Jesse in the stroller and take a leisurely walk around the block and see the sights of Manhattan?

His wife still did free-lance work often and photographed special events like weddings and anniversaries. Most of these clients, like Don Flack's mother's goddaughter heard of Hope's services though word of mouth. But she maintained a Facebook business page called _Hope's Memory Chest_ for potential clients who contacted her to view her work. Only the thumbnails could be printed, once someone clicked it to enlarge for viewing, if someone tried to print it, they couldn't. This and the watermark on each photo was a safe guard Adam Ross had helped her put in place to protect her work. People could view and order prints from her scenic category. Each varying in price depending the print size. Her prices for wedding packages and events also varied. She did fairly good business with the site, sometimes making up to $1000 a month, off the books. Mac was proud that his wife still pursued her passion and not lost herself in motherhood.

When they were all out together on the rare leisurely outing Mac always encouraged his wife to take her camera. A great shot could pop up anywhere. There was a ton of family photos of them at the park and out around the city for the family album. More pictures were added later today of Jesse eating a soft pretzel in the afternoon during a stop at the park to take a few trips on the slide and some time in the swing. For Mac, it was the perfect day off. The sights of their neighborhood were a distraction for Jesse from his sore gums. The green popsicle as they headed was the best treat for Jesse, not only did it taste great, the cold numbed his gums, making him _very_ happy.

"Maybe we should stock up on these for you two," Mac grinned. "A box for each of you."

Hope laughed.

Pregnancy and popsicles were a good combination.


	32. Do You Believe?

_**Do You Believe? **_

Most religious practices didn't faze Mac.

_To each their own,_ he thought.

But this entire apartment complete with a voodoo altar gave him the creeps. The wife and first suspect described herself as a high priestess_**.**_ Her estranged husband had been found dead in his home—an apartment in Chinatown, approximately an hour away. Toxicology tests had yet to confirm it, but Sid believed the man died from cyanide poisoning. The victim also had a single, fresh injection mark in his neck there was no needle anywhere in the man's apartment or his wife's. The victim Steven Dixon's ex-wife, Naomi admitted she had seen her husband in the last day and they had "made out," which was why her DNA might be found on his face and neck. But the two had begun to argue "as usual" soon after, regarding her voodoo practices, which she picked up while doing college courses. Naomi stated she had slapped Steven and left, that was it.

She denied injecting him with anything but acknowledged upon her return to her home, said apartment and "cast a revenge spell" on him.

"I wouldn't know where to get that stuff and besides I heard that's hard to get," she said.

The substance was more difficult to obtain now but if one knew where to look it was indeed possible, Don Flack told her.

The source of the prison wasn't found in either apartment. The syringe would be found within the hour in the dumpster outside Naomi's building, with her fingerprints on it, before the team could search the dumpster. A man who used it to inject heroine. Enough poisoned water was left in the 6cc syringe to kill the man within minutes.

Making it a double crime scene and possibly getting Naomi a second murder charge.

Since Naomi's fingerprints were all over the syringe. Sid guessed that since the cyanide would be absorbed through the skin killing the person, Naomi had to handle it without gloves prior to the poison being put in the vessel. A box of latex gloves was in Naomi's bathroom. Two pairs of plastic gloves were found in the waste basket. They were carefully bagged and sent to the lab to be tested.

Naomi Dixon was arrested and taken to the station for further questioning. She continuously professed her innocence, saying her own involvement in her estranged husband was the "spell" she had cast on him.

"It must have worked. Too bad it took this for him to believe in what I'd been saying all along," Naomi stated with a snort as an officer led her away.

"I'd love to see how her lawyer is gonna get that defense to hold in court. Think the DA with the other death?" Don Flack asked Mac.

"Hopefully we'll get her for manslaughter for that. Toxicology should be able to prove that it the poison that killed him." Mac replied. Trying to lighten the moment, Mac then said "all I know is that when I get home I'll be checking everything on Hope's bookshelf."

Hours later, the district attorney charged Naomi Dixon with first-degree murder for the death of Steven Dixon and manslaughter for the death of drug user by the dumpster who had yet to be identified.

Before bed that night Mac asked his wife if she believed in voodoo spells.

"No," she said. "I tried it on you once when I wanted you to quit putting the peanut butter in the frig. Obviously it didn't work," she smiled. "FYI, you're getting your own jar next time I shop."

Both expectant mother and son enjoyed the new jarred peanut butter and honey combination.

Mac said peanut butter should be stored in the refrigerator.

His wife countered it should be on the shelf, like in the grocery store

Mac chuckled.

"Just what I wanted. Who says voodoo doesn't work?"

Lindsay Messer and Hope Taylor had due dates within five days of each other and were even registered to give birth at the same hospital. If the two had their babies on the same day it was going to be quite an occasion at the crime lab. The two women were looking forward to playdates with their children. Lucy would be getting ready for kindergarten by the time her new sibling arrived. Unless the Messers, Mac and Hope planned to find out the gender of their baby prior to the birth. Danny and Lindsay had known they were having a girl before Lucy was born but wanted to see if they had the patience to wait this time around. Danny and Lindsay decided this baby was going to be their last.

Or that was what they were thinking for now.

Two children was enough, living in the city, they thought.

A year ago, the family had moved into a three-bedroom brownstone in Brooklyn. Lucy Messer had been thrilled to finally have a backyard, even if it were a small one. If they ever thought they were out-growing their place in Manhattan, Hope and Mac had considered moving to a similar home.

And having their close friends as neighbors wouldn't be such a bad idea, either.


	33. Signs

_**Signs**_

Hope talked to her brothers Hunter and Blake faithfully several times a week. She called them sometimes, other times they called her. Hunter's business was booming and Blake was still enjoying coaching soccer to at-risk youth in Colorado and traveling the globe (and teaching soccer to kids he met at any location) whenever he could. The three would go weeks without hearing from their sister, Bella. It was normal thing in their lives and since their mother either spoke to or saw her in Seabend the small town where the family was raised and where Bella and their parents still lived, there was no cause for worry. Hope hadn't been back to her home state since she moved to Manhattan. They hadn't traveled with Jesse yet and they wasn't about to start at this time. Jesse wasn't a fussy child, changes in his environment didn't bother him. Still, mommy wasn't going push this by taking him on first long car ride or plane trip till the cold snap of winter was over. A trip to Hope's hometown was planned for June if all stayed well in her pregnancy. She would be close to four months along then.

This was going to be the first time Mac Taylor had been to the state as well. Before he had a family Mac thought it was a waste to go anywhere for a vacation. But as it does with many, this changed everything. Jesse would be too young in June, at sixteen months old to enjoy the sights of the big city of Chicago but he wouldn't be too young to enjoy a trip to nanny and poppy's house. A house where the backyard contained a swing set and slide for him to play on. The backyard issue was a reason that the second Hope had mentioned about the Messers' suggestion that the three move to a brownstone in their Brooklyn neighborhood Hope's mother Alicia encouraged it. She said it would be good for Jesse to be able to play outside and not to go far from home. Something Hope couldn't disagree with.

"Besides didn't that café that you two lovebirds first saw each other close down recently?" Alicia asked. It had. The space was now a thrift shop. "Maybe that's a sign."

Moving wasn't out of the question for Mac, either.

Especially on a good day.

The murder of the college student shot and killed in the corner store robbery had been solved.

It had turned out to be personal. Robbery being an after-thought.

Hannah Brown was attending NYU on scholarship from her home state of Wyoming. Her grades had began to slip and she risked losing her funding. To bring her grades back up, she had began having sex with a few of her professors, both men and women. Her roommate Penny James found out and demanded she stop, it was unfair to other students on scholarship like Penny herself who had to work to keep their funding and grades, and Hannah didn't.

Hannah had laughed and refused, saying she was doing what she had to do.

Penny knew that Hannah was working that night. She "borrowed" her great-aunt's gun— the woman was currently overseas. While Penny was returning the weapon, the neighbor the older woman had watching the place walked in. This man thought it was suspicious, nobody was allowed to "borrow" the gun, like Penny said. The older woman was specific about that adding her great-niece had a key to the place. He hadn't called the police till three days later. When he identified Penny, cops connected her to her dead roommate and things had come together from there. Hearing the gun were a match to the one that killed Hannah Brown, Penny James confessed, saying she spent the forty dollars from the register on weed.

_"That whore got what she deserved," she had spat at Mac._

"Her roommate got one thing wrong," Hope said to Mac. "She has no idea just much _work _sleeping with your professors for grades, is. Thankfully all of mine preferred cash."

Mac laughed so hard he lost his breath.

Over dinner, the two again talked about moving.

More and more it felt like a great idea.

Like the café where they first saw one another, they would always have the memory of the apartment building where they first became neighbors and soon much more. Like the café, the building was just that, a building.

Don told them they should try Queens, where he and Stella lived with their kids. They lived in a four bedroom house, not an apartment. They had a small front yard and large space in the back where three-year-old Trey Flack spent endless time perfecting his baseball skills because he was going to play for the "wantzees" when he grew up. When it wasn't baseball season he was going to be a police officer, like daddy and mommy. Don may have liked Queens because it was where he grew up but the Taylors agreed they liked Brooklyn more if they were going to move at all.

And if they were going to, they knew they should start looking now. They could be settled in by the time Hope neared her due date. There was a property like theirs for sale less than a block from the Messer residence, Danny had told Mac. It was bigger, with four bedrooms but the property was the same size otherwise. To check out the house thoroughly they would have to leave Jesse home. Hope said she would call the number of the real estate agent the next morning.


	34. Rhode Island-bound

_**Rhode Island-bound**_

It felt like it took forever to get settled in new home. Picking out their new home, situated a quarter of a block from Danny and Lindsay's place and closing the sale was a breeze compared to moving in and unpacking. After all this, Mac figured his wife could use a vacation. Their move had put their trip to Hope's hometown back by a week but now the plane was touching down in Providence. Jesse spent most of the seventy-five minute plane ride charming the flight attendants. Jesse hadn't forgotten his grandparents. He squealed, nearly jumping out Mac's arms when he saw them at the gate. That alone was enough to make his mother's trip. She knew how excited Alicia had been about the trip. Her mother had spent the week refreshing Hope's childhood bedroom. She had borrowed of a high chair, playpen and stroller for her grandson to use. Jesse's car seat had been taken along for the plane. Hope shook her head with laughter seeing the living room when she entered the house where she grew up.

It resembled their own living room, with every toy for a one-year-old available. They had only packed the essentials and small backpack of Jesse's very favorite toys. Hope knew her mother was going to pull out all the stops for the three's two-week trip.

"I picked up baby lotion, diapers and wipes and all snacks you told me he likes," Alicia said before returning to cooing over her grandson.

"Of course you did," Hope smiled.

While his parents were tired from the travel, Jesse was ready to play. While he did just that with his grandparents in the living room, led her husband to her old room.

"You know this is the first they let me have a _boy_ in my room," Hope told him.

Mac laughed.

"I'm a very lucky boy then."

The two had a surprise to tell Nathan and Alicia at dinner. They had found out the sex of the baby Hope was carrying.

Another boy.

Either way they would have been overjoyed but being a tomboy growing up Hope was just a bit more comfortable with little boys than girls.

Mac helped his in-laws set the table for dinner while Hope changed Jesse's diaper. He noticed the dish set on the high chair tray. His wife was right, Alicia didn't forget anything. During dinner the conversation centered around the family's new home. When the couple shared the news that they were having a second son, Alicia ran over and hugged both her daughter and son-in-law.

Nathan followed suit.

Alicia Conway held back tears as her daughter and her family passed through the security checkpoint at the airport. The stay had ended too soon. However, she realized that her daughter wanted to get back to the city. Mac had to get back to work and it would be good for Jesse to get more used to his new home and neighborhood. She indeed disliked New York City and wouldn't ever get used to her daughter and grandchildren living there but she learned to accept it. Plus, she was going to see the family again soon for the baby shower Hope's friends were planning. And she and Nathan were considering going to the city for the baby, not waiting a few weeks as they had with Jesse.

And they could take care of the little boy while his parents were at the hospital. But this discussion could wait for now.

"You okay?" Mac asked his wife when their cab pulled up to their home.

She had gone quiet on the way.

"Yeah. It's good to be home," she said softly with a smile.

"Yeah. We're home," he said, kissing her softly.

"Home" didn't mean boredom, either. There were many more adventures ahead.


End file.
